


petrichor (it's raining somewhere else)

by jesterwrites



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: :0, Bara Sans, Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader-Insert, Souls, Weird dreams, aaaand theres some fun lil surprises, bc i love my bara baby, eventual smut??, he big, it won't be a big deal if there is any, like; it follows the game story but takes place mostly post-game, oh god so much fluff, rated mature just in case, sweet potato, yall are in for a ride
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-09-07 14:22:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8804284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesterwrites/pseuds/jesterwrites
Summary: You stand there as the song starts, listening to the soft voice of the singer and zoning out a little in the warm, slightly stuffy bookstore air. You probably would have stood there all afternoon had the muted jingle of the door bells not alerted you to a customer at the front of the shop. “I’ll be right there!” you call, and, feeling playful, you dance through the shelves and racks, twirling. The spin makes you a little dizzy, and you take a few stumbly side steps before coming to a stop in front of…Oh.That’s a…. skeleton. (Your life was turned upside down when the monsters came up to the surface. Not in a bad way, really, just... strange.But between that, your weird dreams, and that wise-cracking skeleton who popped into your life one day...Things are about to get even stranger.)ON HIATUS





	1. the world turned upside down

**Author's Note:**

> heya everyone!!! welcome to my first undertale fanfiction, petrichor!! i'm so excited to share this with y'all!
> 
> i hope the pacing turns out alright, as i've written a plot out for this story already and i hope you all find it original and interesting!
> 
> the first chapter is un-beta'ed, as i was so pumped to post this that i kinda..... didn't get anyone to beta this.
> 
> don't worry though because that!! will hopefully change!!
> 
> hope you all enjoy!!
> 
> my tumblr: eternalcircus
> 
> my ig: flowermouths

You stand in a hallway. Disoriented, you blink several times in an attempt to ground yourself, feeling the brush of warm sunlight on your face. Opening your eyes fully, you can see that the entire hallway is bathed in swaths of soft golden light. Stone pillars line the walls, and the light shines through what looks like windows made of pieces of colored glass. Although you don't recognize this hall (church? dreamscape?) there is an odd air of familiarity to it, one that you can’t quite remember the source of. Your arms and legs feel weighted and warm when you try and move, giving you the strange sensation of walking under water. 

 

You take a step and the sound echoes, shattering the dull, sleepy silence. You feel as if you’re being watched and you turn around, disturbed. A cold guilt settles on your back and creeps down your spine as you glance nervously around the hall.

 

“H-hello?” you whisper, only half-hoping for a response. You’re met with silence, the same deafening, nauseous silence as before, until-

 

“it’s a beautiful day outside.”

 

No.  
No, no no, please, no- 

 

Something in your brain clicks into place, some long-buried memory is forced back into your mind, something dark and awful and cold and someone is screaming, it might be you but you don’t care-

 

“birds are singing. flowers are blooming.”

 

You try to plead with him, try to tell him you’re sorry, but the words won’t come out and your throat is dry and dusty. Your vision swims as you panic, bright spots dotting the edge of your line of sight. You drop to your knees, trembling violently as the sunlight flashes harshly in your face. The dark figure before you just stands there, radiating righteous anger and cold, cold judgement. 

 

“on days like these, kids like you…”

 

You know what comes next. You know, and you brace for the pain and the anger and the fear, but- it never comes.

 

Everything goes dark. Everything disappears: the hall, the light, the fear. All of it is gone.

 

...You aren’t sure whether to feel scared or grateful.

 

You open your eyes (when had you squeezed them shut?) to find yourself floating (standing? lying?) in a void of blackness. It’s peaceful compared to your panic in the hall, and you find yourself, miraculously, relaxing. It’s quiet here. There’s nothing here. 

 

“----? --- --- ---- --?”

 

You gasp and glance wildly around the darkness. The voice is raspy, breathy, and speaking in a language you don’t understand- if it’s even speaking at all. The phrase is littered with chirps and hisses of what sounds like static. The voice pauses only briefly before trying again.

 

“----? ----? -- ------ -----?”

 

"Hello? Who's there?!"

 

The darkness around you suddenly shudders, as if it's realizing that there is a human within it for the first time. There's a pause, like whatever thing is in the darkness with you is trying to figure out what to say.

 

"--- --- ---------- --?"

 

You stand there in the sentient darkness, not sure how to respond. You don't know what this thing is, nor can you comprehend its speech, but... 

 

You're curious.

 

"I-I'm sorry, I can't understand what you're saying. Can you maybe... show me what you're trying to tell me? Or something?"

 

You're a little frustrated at your own lack of eloquence. You don't even know if this thing can hear or understand you, yet here you are attempting to get it to show you a visual representation of its message. Or something.

 

Nevertheless, the thing in the dark seems to agree with your sentiments, because the weirdly tangible darkness around you starts shifting and twisting. You watch, breathless, as it folds like fabric, pulling itself together at one center point, reforming itself into something very, very tall and very, very dark-

 

...You wake up in your bed, shaking.

 

Sunlight streams through your window and you shiver, remembering the hallway in your dream. You’ve never really had bad nightmares, but last night was… an exception to that, you suppose. You stay in bed for a few minutes before rolling dazedly over to your nightstand and checking the time. It takes you a moment to process the little glowing numbers on the clock, but then it hits you like a ton of bricks. It’s past 10 in the morning. You’re late for work. 

 

Swearing, you shove your blankets off of yourself and stumble out of bed, wincing at the bright sunlight in your eyes. You grab your phone and yank it from its charger on your way to your bathroom. Your apartment isn’t the biggest, but you do have your own bathroom, which is nice. Your roommate would probably be okay sharing a bathroom, but you prefer your own space. 

 

Speaking of your roommate… why hadn’t she woken you up? She knew you had to work today.  
You glance at your phone screen as you reach over the bathroom counter for your toothbrush.  
You have two missed calls and a line of texts from your boss. Great.

 

 

boss lady: I wanted to let you know that you don’t have to come in for the rest of the week.

 

boss lady: You know, because of the whole monster thing.

 

boss lady: But we’re getting a new shipment in next Monday so I’ll need you here for that.

 

You’re so relieved that you don’t have work that you almost miss the second text. The whole monster thing? What whole monster thing? Turning around to leave your room, you pinch yourself a few times, feeling like you’re still dreaming. 

 

Pinch. Pinch. Pinch. Ow.

 

...You don’t think you’re dreaming. 

 

You head into the living room and almost immediately you’re assaulted by your roommate, who practically jumps at you from her perch on the couch, where she’s been watching TV.

 

“You’re finally awake! I didn’t wanna bother you since you’ve been staying up so late recently but hey your boss called me and she said to tell you don’t have to come in and she wasn’t sure if you saw her texts-”

 

“Becca-”

 

“Oh, that means you haven’t seen the news yet! Everyone’s talking about it, I don’t really know what to think but it is pretty cool, I can’t wait to meet some-”

 

“Bec!”

 

She pauses, looking absolutely giddy. You rub your eyes with one hand.

 

“Okay, tell me what’s going on.”

 

She grabs you by the hand and practically drags you over to the couch, where she plops herself down and points emphatically at the television. 

 

“That’s what’s going on.”

 

You squint at the screen. It’s playing the news, and you have to read the headline several times before you can fully comprehend it.

 

MONSTERS EMERGE FROM MT. EBOTT, SHOCKING THE NATION.

 

...What?

 

...Monsters?

 

You turn to Bec, confused.

 

“What do you mean, monsters?”

 

“Monsters,” she repeats, eyes glued to her phone. “Like, real ones.”

 

She flips her phone around to show you and you can see a picture of a goat… man… monster… dude wearing what looks like robes? You’re not sure but the goat guy looks really intimidating, and, more importantly, very, very real. He seems to be talking to an official looking cop-president-government guy who looks, frankly, just as shocked as you feel. He certainly doesn’t look malevolent, which you guess is a good sign, but… monsters. Wow.

 

“Yeah, they like, came out of that mountain. You, know, Mt. Ebott? It’s like two hours from here? Anyway they’ve been down there for ages but they have a little human kid who helped break them out. Magic, or something.”

 

Bec twists around so she can look at her phone and show you more photos at the same time. She thumbs through a few pictures and you catch glimpses of another goat monster, a scary-looking mermaid lady, a giant lizard, a tall skeleton or ghoul, and a ghost that looks…. Oddly sad for someone who’s just been freed from their supposed underground prison. And what was that Bec had said about magic? Was that real too? You were starting to question things. Like, if monsters and magic were a thing, did that mean Santa was too? Or the tooth fairy? Honestly you were kinda excited about the possibilities this opened up for you-

 

You stop short when you realize the other thing your roommate had mentioned. Mt. Ebott was indeed not far from your town. That was going to be… real interesting. 

 

If you weren’t already seated, you feel like you’d need to sit down for a second. It’s a lot to take in on a Monday morning. You rest your face in your hands and attempt to acclimate to the fact that the whole world has basically just turned upside down. 

 

“Monsters. Right. Okay.”


	2. if you could follow your heart, gently

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet someone new. ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was much longer than i thought it'd be, woops. it's nearly midnight so no beta read for this one either. i swear i'll get that sorted out eventually.
> 
> thank you all for the hits and kudos! it seems more people like this that i'd anticipated, haha.
> 
> enjoy this chapter!!

About three months have passed since the monsters came to the surface. While the shock has died down a fair bit, people still have a lot of questions about the monsters and their magic. Almost immediately after the monsters resurfaced, the government passed a temporary but strict ban on magic usage. The monsters, aware of the humans’ wariness, had agreed. For the safety of both humans and monsters, the government advised that the monsters live closer to Mt. Ebott rather than farther away, which, of course, meant they’d be staying in or around your town. You can't really say that you minded, though. You were pretty interested in the monsters and their life under the mountain.

 

The child who had supposedly broken the barrier was named as their ambassador, which you thought was kind of a big responsibility for such a little kid- they couldn’t have been older than ten or eleven. Politically, people were taking sides already on monsters’ rights- the more conservative cited potential terrorism and war as reasons to isolate them, but the less bigoted were aware that monsters were, well, people too (to a certain extent) and that they deserved the same rights as anyone else. The government of your country had been leaning heavily towards granting the monsters basic civil liberties, but you had heard that already other nations were announcing that they were closing their borders to monsters. 

 

Honestly, it made you sad that there were such heartless people out there. You were starting to see more and more monsters in public and they all seemed to be friendly. You would always try to be kind to them as well, knowing that other humans might not extend them that courtesy.

 

You didn’t really have any chance to interact with them, though, you muse to yourself as you get ready for work. Maybe one of these days you’ll get to talk to one.

 

You glance out of your apartment window as you get dressed. The trees sway and tremble in what looks like a strong wind. You smile inwardly to yourself as you grab a sweater from your drawer. You love autumn. Did monsters have seasons underground? How did they have weather without a sky? Questions like these are pretty commonplace for you these days. You tell Bec goodbye as you grab your bag and head for the door. 

 

“Bye, dude- wait, can you bring home takeout? I don’t really wanna go to the store,” she says, looking at you with puppy eyes. You laugh and nod.

 

“Yeah, sure, whatever. Text me later and tell me what you want to eat.” Bec grins and flops back down on the couch. She works as a game reviewer and app developer, which means she spends a lot of time working at home. You’re still unsure of where your career is headed, so you’re taking a gap year. Or two. Or three. However long it takes. You’re not unduly worried about your future, monster-wise or not. 

 

You wave at Bec one more time and leave the apartment, making sure to close the door tightly behind you. The halls of your apartment building are always cold, even when the heat is on in your apartment. It’s weird. Snuggling into your denim jacket (five bucks at your local thrift store- it’s too big for you but it sure is comfy), you practically skip down the three flights of stairs.

 

You find yourself yawning as you push open the door of your building. You’ve still been having weird dreams, with the same theme of darkness and that same unintelligible voice, but you figure it’s a side effect of how late you’ve been staying up. You really do need to start getting to bed earlier. 

 

Outside, it’s just as windy as you thought it’d be but the air isn’t uncomfortably cool and you find yourself really enjoying your walk to work. You only drive to work if the weather is really bad, since it’s only a few blocks’ walk and although the car is yours, Bec seems to use it more than you do, as she’s the one who does all the shopping.

 

You work at a store called River Street Records. It’s a bit of a misnomer as the store is not, in fact, on a River Street, and it’s become equal parts bookstore and music store, mostly because the store owner, your boss, is real a sucker for book donations for some reason. Janie Clark is a little eccentric and you’ve long suspected her of being a psychic (she always knows when you’re slacking off!) but she’s generous and kind and gives you lots of vacation days, sometimes sending you home early if business is slow, which it sometimes is. Your job pays surprisingly well, though, so you’re definitely not complaining.

 

The bells on the door jingle as you walk in. Janie calls hello to you and you greet her back, slinging your bag over the counter and seating yourself on the old bar stool you use so you don’t have to stand behind the register. 

 

“Mind if I play some music?” Janie calls from the back of the store. Often, she spends her time organizing new book, record, and disc shipments, while you ring up the sales and help the customers find what they need. It’s just the two of you, but it’s peaceful and the atmosphere of the shop is always comforting. 

 

“Music would be perfect!” You call back, and Janie laughs at your enthusiasm. A minute or so passes until you hear the scratch of a record player and the crooning voice of a jazz singer fills the shop. You settle on your stool and gaze out the front windows at the leaves blowing in the wind.

 

The first few hours of your day pass in relative peace. A few customers come in, you help them find what they want, they go on their way. Once, a regular comes in to buy the next book in the series he’s reading.

 

“Why don’t you just buy the whole series at once?” you ask him as he pulls out his wallet. “Wouldn’t that be easier?”

 

“Maybe,” he admits, looking bashful. “But I like the anticipation of coming in to buy the next one.”

 

You laugh as you ring him up and wave goodbye as he leaves. You love being able to connect with others. Everyone deserves compassion, no matter what- at least, that’s what you believe. Sometimes you wish others believed the same.

 

Around noon, you start thinking about taking your lunch break. Janie’s already gone upstairs to talk to some publishers on the phone, which means you’re basically in charge of the shop. You slide off your stool and head to the back of the store to put on a new record. You suppose the store has enough money to have a more high-tech sound system, but you’re honestly pretty fond of the old record player to complain. Besides, most customers find it “quaint”, or something.

 

You flip through the extensive collection of records Janie keeps for in-store playing, the ones that aren’t explicitly for sale. There’s jazz, swing, pop music from the sixties, seventies, and eighties, rock, and your personal preference, more modern acoustic music. You pick one of your favorites and place it down gently before setting the needle delicately on the surface.

 

You stand there as the song starts, listening to the soft voice of the singer and zoning out a little in the warm, slightly stuffy bookstore air. You probably would have stood there all afternoon had the muted jingle of the door bells not alerted you to a customer at the front of the shop. 

 

“I’ll be right there!” you call, and, feeling playful, you dance through the shelves and racks, twirling. The spin makes you a little dizzy, and you take a few stumbly side steps before coming to a stop in front of…

 

Oh. 

 

That’s a…. skeleton.

 

You blink, your head still spinning a little, as you look up at the new arrival. That’s right, up. You don’t consider yourself a short gal by any means, but this guy’s got at least a foot on you, which would put him at just over…. wow, six feet tall. He’s wider than you, too, and in the few seconds you stare dizzily up at him, you catch a glimpse of the glowing white lights in his eye sockets that you guess serve as pupils.

 

Woah.

 

You remember your manners and straighten yourself out before beaming at him.

 

“Welcome to River Street Records! How can I help you?”

 

He’s got a grin on his face, his hands in his pockets, and such a chilled-out expression on his face you could imagine him falling asleep standing right there. 

 

“heh. just lookin’ around, kiddo, but thanks.”

 

His voice is deeper than you thought it’d be and you’re practically vibrating with energy by the time you turn to take your place behind the counter. This is definitely the most interesting thing to happen to you today. You’re about to plop back down on your barstool when you hear his low rumble of a voice behind you again. 

 

“uh, scratch that whole ‘no help’ thing, pal, i, uh, might need a hand here.”

 

He’s standing in front of the vinyl rack looking absolutely confused. You bounce over. 

 

“What do you need help with?”

 

He pulls his large, skeletal hand out of his pocket and nervously scratches the back of his head. You can’t help but notice how thick his bones are as he does. This guy is so cool.

 

“see, i’m getting some presents for my friends and i have a feeling, uh, one of ‘em might really like somethin’ to play music on. and, uh, some music.”

 

Were his friends monsters too? Excitement bubbles up in you before you realize that you’re being a little creepy and you should probably calm down. 

 

“Okay, um, what kind of music does he like?”

 

“it’s a she, actually, and she, um-” you can see his eyelights flick down to you before turning back to the vinyls- “i dunno what she likes. maybe something like what you’ve got playing here?”

 

“Ooh, that’s always nice! It’s my favorite genre,” you chatter happily, leaning over the rack to pull out a few records of the same style. “It’s kinda relaxing, I think that’s why I like it so much. Here.” 

 

You hold out the records and he takes them, his fingers brushing yours for a fraction of a second. You’re taken a little aback by the smooth, warm surface of his bones, but you quickly compose yourself and rock on your heels as the skeleton looks over the vinyls. 

 

“this one looks cool,” he comments. “you’ve got good taste, kid.”

 

“Aw, thanks,” you say, grinning, as he hands you all but one of the records. It seems he picked a good one- an album that you listen to when you need to relax and that you sometimes play in the store on rainy days. 

 

“So, I assume you’re looking for a turntable to go with that record, right, Mister…?” you trail off expectantly, hoping he’ll introduce himself. And he does.

 

“the name’s sans. sans the skeleton. and i guess i do, don’t i, miss…?”

 

You tell him your name and his grin stretches wider across his face, making you realize that, as a skeleton, a smile is his default facial expression, and that the face he’s making now is an actual smile. Somehow, that makes you feel happier.

 

“So, Sans, let me show you what we’ve got.”

 

You hear him chuckle, deep and soft, behind you as he follows you to the record player table, where you’ve got models of all the turntables you carry laid out.

 

“If you’re not looking for anything too fancy, there’s a few standard options here…”

 

You show him the more compact players and he contemplates for a few minutes before settling on a sleek purple one with gold accents. If you had the spare cash, you’d probably buy one yourself, but you’ve already got a nice enough stereo and you spend enough time at the store anyhow.

 

“ok, that should be good. thanks for helpin’ me out, by the way.”

 

You’re not sure if it’s a trick of the light, but you think you see a slight tinge of blue on his face. You smile shyly and shrug. 

 

“Just doing my job, you know?” He stops, eyelights focused curiously on you.

 

“nah, i’m serious. it means a lot. ‘specially since i’m guessing you don’t see monsters around here very often.”

 

You feel your face heat up a little and he laughs.

 

“i’m just messing with ya, kid. thanks for bein’ so nice to a bag o’ bones like me, though.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” you murmur, but you’re smiling as you step behind the counter. He places the box with the turntable in it down and sets the record on top, digging his wallet out of his pocket.

 

“The record player is seventy-five-fifty,” you chirp, and he hands you several twenty-dollar bills. You give him the change and he pauses.

 

“how much is the vinyl?”

 

You grin. “It’s on me. Tell your friend I hope she likes it.”

 

He seems startled by that, but his grin stretches slowly across his face as he picks up his purchases from the counter.

 

“yeah, i’ll tell her. and, kid?”

 

You look up. “Yeah?”

 

“to patella the truth…. i think you’re one of the nicest humans i’ve met in a while.”

 

He winks at you and you flush, looking away with a giddy smile. You hear the door bells jingle as he leaves and just like that, he’s gone.

 

You’re left with so many questions. Like, how did he wink at you without eyelids? And, more importantly…. Was that a bone pun?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more shameless self advertising:
> 
> tumblr: eternalcircus
> 
> ig: flowermouths
> 
>  
> 
> (also, the song that reader plays in the store is this: [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H_nFFaauy8). it's one of my favorites)


	3. what a glorious feelin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet some more monsters. Your dreams are still weird.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoo boy another unbeta'd chapter look @ me go
> 
> anyway thanks a ton for all the kudos, bookmarks, hits, etc. it makes my day and motivates me to write!
> 
> speaking of, this chapter was a little difficult to crank out but hey!! no worries!! the plot's gonna pick up real fast real soon!!
> 
> enjoy ya chapter kiddos!!

The next day at work, you get lucky.

 

...Not ‘getting lucky’ like having sex ‘getting lucky’, obviously, but a different kind of lucky. Monster lucky.

 

As in, another monster shows up at your work. (You suppose you could have phrased that a little more eloquently.)

 

You’re sitting on your stool, listening to some jazz that Janie had picked out underscored by the soft patter of rain on the roof. Business is real slow, considering not many people go window-shopping in the pouring rain. Oh well. You’re debating whether you should take a break or find something to read; the shelves are always filled with both old and new books, and it’s easy for you to find something you like. You’re halfway off your stool, about to make a beeline to the bookshelves, when you hear the telltale ding-a-ling of the bell. Gosh dang it.

 

You groan inwardly as you sit back down and watch as the door opens. A gust of cool air precedes your newest customer, who enters, legs first.

 

Wait, legs first? How is that even possible? You watch, transfixed, as a pair of long, shapely legs, clad in hot pink boots, step through your shop door. You aren’t quite sure how to react and you stare for what feels like several minutes before your attention is caught by a delicate ‘ahem’.

 

You look up, a little embarrassed to be caught staring, and standing before you is a robot. The most gorgeous robot you’ve ever seen. Glossy black hair that hangs in front of one eye, slightly feminine features, shiny metal skin and legs that would put most supermodels to shame. You swallow hard but manage to plaster a flustered smile across your face.

 

"Welcome to River Street Records, how can I help you?"

 

"Hello there," the robot coos in a posh, metallic voice. "I'm just looking around, but thank you, darling."

 

He stares intently at you for a moment, like he's looking you over, and you feel a little self-conscious. But your attention is quickly drawn away by the crowd of people outside your shop. Mostly monsters but with a few humans dispersed throughout the group, the crowd practically presses against the windows, trying to get a look inside. The robot follows your gaze behind him outside and laughs charmingly as he sees what you're looking at.

 

"Don't worry, darling, that's just the paparazzi. They won't bother you, but they're clearly all just dying to get a look at me!"

 

His confidence is certainly disarming. You fidget as the robot flounces off into the bookshelves. You get up and walk over to the door. It seems that the crowd is trying to take pictures of the robot without disturbing your business. The monster paparazzi is... the most respectful paparazzi you've ever heard of. You open the door a little and poke your head out.

 

"You guys can come in if you want? I mean, I'd hate for you all to stand out in the rain."

 

The group chatters appreciatively and files into your shop. A few go straight to the robot man, asking politely for autographs and taking pictures. As you go to sit back down, you catch a glimpse of the robot posing with his fans. You stifle a laugh and you're about to take your place at the register when a pair of monsters are suddenly before you, looking excited.  
"Like, how does it feel to have Mettaton visit your store?" the shorter one, who looks like a cat, asks. The other monster, who looks like a humanoid crocodile, shoves a microphone in your face and says, "Yeah, like, how does it feel?"

 

"Uh," you start, unsure of how to respond. "I guess it's... cool?"

 

The two giggle and scamper off. From that exchange, you can infer that A. the robot man's name is Mettaton, and B. he's a monster celebrity. You wonder if he knows Sans. Wait, is assuming that all monsters know each other racist? Probably. You immediately feel guilty.

 

Slowly, the crowd begins to leave, with most quietly thanking you for letting them come in and a few even making purchases on their way out. Eventually it's just you, Mettaton, and a short yellow lizard monster you've never met before.

 

Mettaton breezes over to you, holding what looks like an Italian cookbook in one shiny hand. The other monster follows him, a little shyly.

 

"Thank you so much for being so very kind to my fans," Mettaton croons as he hands you the book and his credit card.

 

"Aw, it's no problem! They were all really polite," you say as you scan the book and swipe the card.

 

"You like cooking?" you ask, handing him the book. He smiles and waves a hand at you.

 

"No, no, it's for one of my friends. He's a real sweetheart and he's so creative-"

 

"Mettaton," the lizard woman interrupts, "W-we should get going before you r-run out of battery."

 

He looks a little petulant but nods. He gestures to the lizard and then to you.

 

"This is Alphys, the Royal Scientist."

 

"F-former Royal Scientist," she interjects bashfully. "T-the monster m-monarchy was d-dissolved when we reached the surface."

 

You smile reassuringly at her and introduce yourself. Mettaton's eyes go wide and he nudges Alphys.

 

"I knew it!" He exclaims dramatically. "You must be the girl Sans was talking about! We’ve heard a lot about you!"

 

So this guy did know Sans! And apparently he’d talked about you? A lot? ...Wow. You feel your face flush but you smile as modestly as you can. 

 

“Yeah, Sans came in here yesterday. He was looking for a gift for someone…. Are you and your friends having a party or something?”

 

Mettaton looks absolutely ecstatic that you’re taking interest. 

 

“Why, as a matter of fact, yes we are! It’s a housewarming party for several of our friends.”

 

You grab a bag from under the counter and put the book in it. It’s still raining outside and you’d hate for the book to get wet, especially since it’s a gift. 

 

“That’s so cool! What part of town are they moving into?”

 

“There’s an apartment building a few blocks from here? Sans and his brother are moving in, as well as the Royal Family and the Ambassador.”

 

The three of you chat idly for a few minutes about the town and how happy you are that everyone is so accepting of monsters before Alphys reminds Mettaton again that his battery will run out eventually, and the two monsters take their leave. It’s only after you are alone again in the shop, jazz music accentuating the silence, that you realize that the only apartment building you know of in the area is your own. Could it be….

 

Nah, that’d be too cliche.

 

A few hours later, your shift ends and you head home, hood up and jacket buttoned in an attempt to shield yourself from the rain. It doesn’t really work, and your jacket is drenched by the time you get back to the apartment, cursing yourself for not thinking to check the weather and drive to work this morning. When you get inside, Bec is sitting at her desk, typing with her headphones on. She doesn’t hear you enter, and you drop your bag and wet jacket by the door and sneak up behind her. She keeps typing, blissfully unaware as you hover behind her like a goblin before grabbing gently at her shoulders to startle her.

 

“Aaaah!” She flinches at the grab and turns around, staring accusingly at you. You start laughing; Bec is short and cute, and when she’s pissed she's about as intimidating as a barking puppy.

 

“Seriously, dude? You’re the worst!” she complains, shoving her headphones off and standing to glare at you, but she’s laughing a little as she does so. She chases you into the kitchen, and you run around like kids for a while before collapsing, exhausted, on your couch. 

 

The rest of the evening passes calmly. You and Bec eat leftover Chinese from last night, watch Spirited Away for the thousandth time, and head off to bed. You shower, still feeling the wet chill from earlier, and contemplate your weird day. Scratch that, it’s been a weird week. You throw on an old Legend Of Zelda tank top and some sweatpants and get into bed. It doesn’t take long for sleep to fade over you like a wave and soon you’re out like a light.

 

Tonight, as usual, you dream of darkness. It’s the same dream you’ve been having every so often for the last few months now.

 

Darkness once again envelops you, the same living, sentient darkness as always, and once again the voice in the void tries to make contact.

 

“----? --- --- ---- -- -------?”

 

“I’m sorry, I still don’t know what you’re trying to tell me.”

 

You’re starting to think maybe it can understand you, because it always sounds conversational when it speaks, like it’s responding to your words. You have an idea.

 

“Hey, um, if you can understand me, can you say your word for yes?”

 

“---.”

 

“So you can understand me?”

 

“---.”

 

It makes the same noise again and you hope that you’re right in assuming it’s “yes.” You repeat the sound it made, trying to form the syllables around your mouth. It repeats that word multiple times. It sounds encouraging.

 

"---! ---! ---!"

 

"Yes," you parrot back in its language. "Okay, can you tell me the word for no next?"

 

"--."

 

You make the sound, trying to etch these new words into your brain. Now, however rudimentary it may be, you can communicate with this thing.

 

"Okay, first things first. Do you have a name?"

 

"Yes."

 

"I'm assuming names don't change between languages, so.... can you tell me your name?"

 

"------."

 

This sound is different from the choked, glitched warbles and screeched it's been making when it talks. This sounds like a word, one you could say or spell phonetically. You're unsure, but it sounds like...

 

"...Gaster? Is that your name?"

 

"Yes," the voice in the darkness responds. "Gaster."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another day, another shameless advertisement:
> 
> tumblr: eternalcircus
> 
> ig: flowermouths
> 
> on a side note, i've been loving the bittybones au lately and i might write a few one-offs abt it. tiny skeletons, man. tiny skeletons.


	4. something good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet your new neighbors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoo boy nelly this chapter took a lil while as i'm busy with school, but with holiday break rapidly approaching expect more chapters in your future!!!
> 
> shoutout to everyone who commented, bookmarked, gave kudos, etc. it really makes my day so thank you all!!
> 
> this one was,, longer than i wanted it to be oops  
> hope y'all enjoy it!!
> 
> ((special thanks to bec for being the world's best beta reader))

The rest of the week is…. boring. You go to work everyday, sit and read or listen to music for a few hours at a time, occasionally helping customers or ringing up purchases, but you don’t meet any new monsters. When you come home, you and Bec make dinner and watch Netflix for a while before both of you get sleepy and go to bed. Now that you’ve learned to communicate with the darkness guy- Gaster, you remind yourself, that’s his name- you find yourself kinda looking forward to your weird dreams. Sure, you might be losing it if you think that talking to a figment of your imagination sounds like a good time, but then again… Gaster always seemed a lot more real than other dreams you’ve had (not that you’ve had many, but still.)

 

So far, you’ve been making good progress on his glitch-language. In addition to “yes” and “no” and “Gaster”, you’ve also learned words like “monster”, “human”, “dream”, “sweet potato” (don’t ask) and a whole bunch of connector words that you can use to form simple sentences with your expanding vocabulary. You stumble a lot, the unfamiliar sounds sticking to your tongue when you try to speak, but Gaster seems to be patient with you. You get the feeling he hasn’t talked to anyone in a long time. You actually kinda like your dreams, sitting in the peacefully empty void while Gaster chatters softly at you, repeating words that you want to remember. It sounds weird, but you don’t mind, seeing as you always wake up feeling well rested, even if you spend the whole night talking to the void.

 

After what feels like an agonizingly boring three days, you’re more than ready to spend the whole weekend on the couch, napping, watching old nineties anime on DVD (one of Bec’s contributions to the media collection) and eating cold pizza. But the universe must be against you, because it doesn’t seem like your Relaxing Weekend™ is gonna be happening anytime soon.

 

There are loud noises coming from your hallway, muffled voices and the banging of furniture against the floor and walls. You groan and roll over on the couch, pulling a pillow over your head to block out the sound, which is decidedly not relaxing at all. 

 

Through the crack between the pillow and the couch, you can see Bec enter the room and you pull yourself from underneath your makeshift sound blocker to blink blearily at her. She looks just as disheveled as you feel, pajamas still on with a cup of hot chocolate in one hand. 

 

“What’s that noise?” you whine, and she shrugs, flopping unceremoniously onto the couch next to you, narrowly avoiding splashing hot cocoa everywhere.

 

“Somebody’s movin’ in today. Actually make that two somebodies. One on our floor, one on the first floor. The landlady came by yesterday while you were at work, said to expect some noise. I guess I forgot to tell you.”

 

Now, you like to think you’re pretty smart. Maybe not smart enough for 10th grade advanced algebra class, but still. You’re definitely smart enough to put two and two together. Even if it's really, really cliche.

 

Even if in this case, two plus two equals your monster acquaintances moving into your apartment building.

 

You take a moment to process this before dragging yourself up off the couch and heading to your room, muttering something about getting dressed to Bec as you go.

 

Your room isn't the biggest, but it's got space for your bed, your dresser, a small desk, and some old milk crates you use to store books and smaller items that you don't want to keep in your closet. Your furniture is surprisingly pretty nice- your mattress is kinda old but barely used, your sheets and comforter are soft and white, the curtains are made of a heavy fabric, and your dresser and desk are made of solid, shiny wood. Your room is comfortable and homey, and you honestly can't imagine living anywhere else right now.

 

The weather's weird today. Although autumn is in full swing, today is unusually warm. You pull open the bottom drawer of your dresser, the one you keep your warmer clothes in, and pull out a pair of black leggings. From the top drawer you pull out a white tank top with a faded logo on the front. You dress, feeling your joints pop as you move and stretch. On your way out of your room you grab a red flannel shirt to wear as a jacket and your black sneakers. 

 

"Where ya goin'?" Bec asks groggily as you head for the door. You pause.

 

"I'm, uh, gonna go check out the new neighbors?" It sounds a little creepy out loud so you try to sound as benevolent as possible.

 

"Cool," she drawls, leaning back and turning up the TV. "If any of 'em are cute, report back to me."

 

"Suuuuuure," you reply, laughing as you open the door and step into the hallway. Almost immediately you're startled by a loud crash and you look down the hall to see a very tall skeleton in what looks like armor arguing with a blue lady with long red hair and an eyepatch.

 

"UNDYNE, I REALLY DON'T THINK THAT'S A SAFE WAY TO MOVE BOXES-"

 

"Chill! I know what I'm doing! The fastest and best way to move stuff is just to throw it-"

 

Without hesitation she picks up a large box with one hand and flings it through the open door of the apartment next to yours. You hear it thud against a wall or something and then another thud as it hits the floor. There's no crash, so you assume that whatever was in the box was fairly sturdy. As you stand there, a little stunned, the blue lady, who you faintly recognize as the mermaid woman who you'd seen in news photos when the monsters arrived topside, sees you and practically charges down the hall towards you.

 

"HEY! Are you their neighbor?"

 

She's taller than you, with a sharp grin and gorgeous hair pulled back into a high ponytail. She's wearing a tank top that shows off her impressive biceps, and she seems pretty strong, especially considering the fact that she just hefted a moving box with one arm.

 

"U-um, yeah, I guess? You're moving next door?"

 

She laughs, a rowdy laugh that makes you smile despite your awkwardness.

 

"Not me, punk! Papyrus and his brother are moving in up here, and the king, the queen, and Frisk are moving in on the first floor."

 

You remember what Mettaton had said the other day and realize that Papyrus's brother must be Sans. You rub your eyes with your hand. The skeleton you met at work, the big one with the grin and the puns, was going to be your neighbor. Oh man.

 

"So, punk, what's your name?"

 

You tell her. She raises an eyebrow.

 

"We've heard about you! Papyrus!" She turns around and beckons to the tall skeleton. "This is the girl Mettaton wouldn't shut up about. The, uh, 'cute one from the bookstore', right?"

 

…“The cute one”?

 

The skeleton, Papyrus, bounds over, reminding you of an overeager puppy, and beams at you.

 

"HELLO, HUMAN NEIGHBOR! YES, METTATON HAS MENTIONED YOU! HE SAYS YOU ARE VERY KIND."

 

Aww, Papyrus seems like a real sweetheart, even if his voice sounds eerily similar to Skeletor’s. Now that he's in front of you, you realize that he really is tall- taller than Sans by a significant amount. You look up at him and smile back, not wanting to make a bad first impression. Suddenly Papyrus gasps excitedly and dramatically claps both gloved hands to his cheeks.

 

"WAIT. IF YOU'RE THE HUMAN METTATON TALKED ABOUT..... THEN YOU'RE ALSO THE HUMAN SANS TALKED ABOUT!"

 

You laugh and nod, remembering the chilled-out skeleton. "Yep, that'd be me."

 

He looks so unapologetically enthusiastic that you can’t help but giggle. The mermaid woman shoves herself in front of you and holds out her hand. You take it, and she shakes your hand so hard you feel the movement all the way up your arm. 

 

“The name’s Undyne! Nice to meet ya.”

 

When Undyne finally releases your hand from her iron grip, you glance down the hall and see the intimidatingly large pile of boxes beside the door.

 

“Hey, do you, uh, need any help moving your boxes in? It looks like you’ve got a lot to do, and I’m sure there are boxes that are too fragile to be, um, thrown vigorously through the doorway.”

 

Undyne grins at your practicality, but Papyrus looks a little bit doubtful, rubbing his chin (lower jaw? you aren’t sure) with his large, gloved hand.

 

“OH, BUT WE WOULDN’T WANT TO IMPOSE ON YOUR KINDNESS OR ANYTHING! I, THE GREAT AND COMPASSIONATE PAPYRUS, WOULD NOT WANT TO DISRUPT YOUR WEEKEND PLANS!”

 

You smile and wave your hand dismissively. Forget the relaxing weekend, this would be much more fun. You’ve only just met Papyrus, and you’ve only known of this group of monster friends for a week, but they’re gonna be your neighbors, for pete’s sake! You should help them out; it’s just what nice people do! ….And you have a feeling that you’re all gonna get along really well.

 

“Don’t worry about it, Papyrus! I didn’t really have anything planned today, and I’d like to get to know you all, since you’re moving in and everything.”

 

Both monsters look excited at the prospect of having help with the moving process. You consider for a moment calling Bec out to help, but you remember how groggy she seemed earlier and decide to introduce her at a later date.

 

Papyrus and Undyne pull you over to the box pile, which they don't seem to have made much progress on, and the three of you start bringing things into the apartment. You're put in charge of the more fragile items, as Papyrus doesn't exactly trust Undyne not to break them by launching them across the hallway. You get the feeling that Papyrus is gentle when he needs to be, enough so that he could technically carry the dishes and glassware himself. The job falls to you, though, as he's too busy finding the items that belong to him, like a box full of gym shorts and crop tops (?) and his "battle simulators", which look an awful lot like action figures, but hey, to each his own.

 

You and your new pals move boxes for about an hour, until the pile finally dwindles to a few boxes and some larger furniture pieces that you’ll need to team up to move. You’re carrying a box of what looks like children’s books (you spot a worn copy of Fluffy Bunny among the titles) and you’re trying to decide where to put it. You can hear Papyrus and Undyne arguing in the hallway about the best method of moving a desk through the door without having to dismantle it. You smile to yourself, about to put the box down on the floor, when-

 

“hey, kiddo. you come here often?”

 

You gasp and drop the box at the sound of the voice behind you. It thuds on the floor as you turn around to find Sans standing there, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets and a wide grin on his face.

 

“You scared me!” you whine accusingly, but you find yourself smiling anyway.

 

“hey, you scared me too. findin’ an intruder in my new apartment was bone-chilling.”

 

You feel your face heat up, even though his smile tells you he’s joking. “Your brother said I could help out!”

 

He chuckles and pats your shoulder as he walks past you into the barely-furnished kitchen. 

 

“i know. my bro’s pretty cool, huh?”

 

“Yeah, he sure is,” you reply, watching as Sans opens the refrigerator and pulls out a half-empty bottle of ketchup. You’re about to ask him how there’s ketchup in the fridge if he’s only just moving in now, but your words die in your throat as he unscrews the cap of the bottle and brings it to his mouth. You feel yourself staring at him. How is he even drinking? Does he have a digestive system? Why does it look like he has lips when he doesn’t even open his mouth when he talks? And why ketchup, of all things?

 

….You’ve got so many questions.

 

“so, kiddo,” he drawls, putting the now nearly-empty bottle on the counter, “is it part of your job to help your customers move into their new apartments, or is that just for me?”

 

The way he says that last part makes you redden again.

 

“I live next door,” you explain, a little indignantly. “I just thought it would be a nice thing to do.”

 

“hey, you’re not wrong. pap and i really ‘preciate the help,” he says, wiping ketchup off his face with the sleeve of his jacket. “guess i was right after all.”

 

“Right about what?” You’re happy that he’s not weirded out by your presence, albeit a little confused.  


 

“you,” he says simply, and leaves the room. Okay, now you’re a lot confused.

 

Still wondering about your new neighbor, you pick the box back up and move it into what Papyrus has deemed to be his room. On your way back out, you run into Papyrus and Undyne, who have managed to get the desk through the door by separating the legs from the top and drawers. 

 

“We got the last few boxes,” Undyne tells you, grinning proudly. “Thanks for your help, punk.” 

 

Papyrus looks adorably frustrated, glaring out the door and down the hallway. You ask him what’s wrong.

 

“MY BROTHER HAS BEEN LAZING ABOUT ALL DAY. HE DIDN’T EVEN BRING IN ANY BOXES! HOW WILL HE EVER BE AS GREAT AS ME IF HE DOESN’T DO ANYTHING?!”

 

“I doubt anyone could be as great as you, Papyrus,” you say, shrugging, and the tall skeleton practically radiates with pride.

 

“THANK YOU, HUMAN! INDEED, IT WOULD BE INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO BE AS COOL AS ME. BUT HE COULD AT LEAST PUT SOME EFFORT INTO IT!”

 

“Ooh, by the way," Undyne interjects, "I was wondering if you wanna come hang out sometime next week? Once everyone’s settled in, I mean. We should totally all get to know each other and stuff!”

 

“I’d love to!” You pause, remembering Bec. “Hey, is it cool if I bring my roommate? I’m sure she’d love to meet you all.”

 

“Uh, YEAH!” Undyne says it like the answer should be obvious, which you guess it kinda is. “Bring your roomie and we’ll eat junk and watch anime! And you can meet the King and Queen and Frisk!”

 

You’re a little taken aback at the thought of meeting (former) royalty and the child who saved the monster kingdom, but you can’t help but feel excited at the prospect.

 

“Sounds awesome! We’ll be there!”

 

Undyne holds up a finger to stop you before you can turn to head back down the hallway and digs her phone out of her pocket.

 

“Can I get your number? I’ll text you so you know when we’re hanging out.”

 

You nod and take the proffered phone, quickly inputting your number and name, which you accent with a star emoji. She grins when she takes her phone back and sees the little star.

 

“Okay, rad! Thanks again for the help!”

 

“I CAN’T WAIT TO HANG OUT!” Papyrus does indeed look incredibly excited. You wave at the pair as you turn around and walk back to your door. Once inside, you close it behind you and lean on it, eyes shut. You let a happy sigh escape your lips.

 

“...I’m guessing you had fun meeting the neighbors?”

 

You open your eyes to see Bec looking at you, eyebrows raised mischievously. She’s holding a fresh cup of cocoa in one hand and a Wiimote in the other. You can see the TV displaying the main menu of a Zelda game behind her.

 

“Yeah, I helped them moved some stuff. Also, guess what?”

 

‘What?” she mumbles, through a sip of cocoa. 

 

“Remember that skeleton I met at work the other day?”

 

She nods, still sipping.

 

“It’s him.”

 

Bec nearly spits out her cocoa laughing.

 

“For real? Holy shit.”

 

“Yeah, him and his brother are next door and apparently they’ve got some friends who moved in downstairs.”

 

Bec’s cracking up, nearly doubling over with laughter.

 

“Your life is so ironic, you know that, right?”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” you mutter, squinting dubiously at her amusement. “They invited us to hang out sometime next week, if you’re game.”

 

“Wait, us? Like, you and me us?” You nod and she grins. “Yeah, I’m in. Sounds awesome.”

 

The two of you spend the rest of the afternoon playing videogames and talking about work, and monsters, and plans, and monsters, and…  
You inexplicably find your attention drifting back to Sans. What had he meant earlier? You’re hesitant to dismiss it as a weird Sans thing as you don’t know him that well, but man. How much more cryptic could he get? At any rate, you’re confident you’ll find out soon enough. 

 

But that wasn’t the strangest part. When you think about what he’d said, when you call up the still-fresh memories of his voice… you feel an odd tug in your chest. Not quite physical, but still real enough that you can physically sense it. It feels like your heart is trying to pull itself from your chest.

 

It’s like your soul is being drawn out at the thought of him.

 

Weird.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's this? another shameless advertisement?
> 
> tumblr: eternalcircus
> 
> ig: flowermouths
> 
> thank you for reading!!  
> also just so you know, the next chapter (and every fifth chapter of this fic) are going to be mini-chapters, meaning they won't have as much plot significance and i'll feel a little less pressured to hit a word limit, haha. these chapters might not even be all that short, depending on the content. i hope that's okay with you all!! ;w;


	5. self-fulfilling prophecy (mini)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans gets some texts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's not beta'd i'm so sorry  
> also!!! in case ya didn't see it this chapter, and every fifth chapter of this fic is a mini chapter of about 1k words, maybe a lil more, maybe a lil less!!  
> these mini chapters will be fun little snippets of pure fluff/non-reader pov/etc!! cool beans!!
> 
> anyway this one is in sans's pov so thats cool
> 
> thank you all once again for the lovely comments/kudos/bookmarks!! you're all so awesome ;w;
> 
> hope y'all enjoy!!

Sans is sitting on the couch, doing his best to get comfortable in the new apartment (“settling in,” as Papyrus insisted), when his phone buzzes in his jacket pocket. He’s debating whether or not to ignore it when it buzzes again. He pulls it out, tiredly. There’s two new messages from his coworker.

 **alph** : when were you going to tell me that she lives next door to you??

 **alph** : you’re killing me here, sans 

He sighs, shifting his position on the couch cushion and raising his bony thumbs to the screen to type back a response.

 **me** : idk didnt think it was that big of a deal 

He’s barely put his phone down when it buzzes persistently in his hand.

 **alph** : but!!!!! it is!!!!!!

 **alph** : do you have any idea how cute you two are??

He freezes. How cute you are? Like, how cute you’d be with him? He feels his face getting warm.

 **me** : youre ridiculous

 **me** : shes not into me shes only known me for like a week

 **alph** : um, no?? you should have seen the look on her face when mtt told her that you’d talked about her to us

He considers this. Now that he thought about it, the human sure had blushed a lot when he’d talked to her yesterday…

Nah. That kind of stuff didn’t happen to him. Too cliche.

 **me** : nope

 **me** : sorry alphys but you should probably find some other couples to ship

The response is fervent and immediate.

 **alph** : not happening, bone man!!!

 **alph** : you two are #goals 

**me** : alphys ive talked to her literally two times

 **alph** : and i bet it was love at first/second sight

He groans inwardly and pinches the bridge of his nose (or, at least, the bone above where his nose would be if he had one) and considers not gracing her with a response. He decides against not texting back when he remembers that he does, in fact, have work tomorrow and he’d have to answer to her in person then. And he really doesn’t wanna have to do that. Too much effort.

 **me** : look alph shes cute but im not exactly hearing wedding bells here

 **me** : hell shes probably got a boyfriend already

 **alph** : if she does i can get undyne to suplex him??

 **me** : alphys no

 **alph** : alphys yes!!!

Sans tosses his phone to the floor and lethargically drags himself up off of the couch. He can hear Papyrus in the kitchen making dinner, and very faintly he can hear music playing from the apartment next to theirs. It’s got the same soft, folk-y sound as the music she’d been playing when he’d first visited her store. Oh man, Tori was gonna love that present. The human had a seriously good taste in music. He wonders, briefly, if he should go and say hello, ask her what she’s listening to.

Nah, he’s not that bold. And not that into her, he tries to convince himself. Not that into her. He’s talked to her twice, he probably made her hella uncomfortable, and he needs to take it down a notch. 

But what if Alphys was right? What if she was right and there was a chance that she liked him? For a second he’s filled with the desire to know what her soul looked like. 

Then he immediately shoves the thought out of his mind. Nope nope nope. Soul bonding was not something to think about with someone who wasn’t your soulmate and who also was your next door neighbor who you’ve known for a week and only talked to twice.

His phone starts buzzing in rapid succession and he picks it up, resigned. There’s at least twenty texts from Alphys and some new ones from Undyne. He opens the ones from Undyne first.

 **anger fish** : Alphys says to stop ignoring her, dickweed

 **me** : actually my name is sans not dickweed

 **me** : you might have the wrong number pal

 **anger fish** : Sans stop being an ass and answer my girlfriend

 **me** : im not texting back she wants me to marry my neighbor 

**anger fish** : Well, duh. You two would be so damn adorable

 **me** : cmon undies dont encourage her

While he waits for Undyne’s inevitable response, he opens the texts from Alphys. Most are messages encouraging him to “date the human”, but the most recent ones are:

 **alph** : stop ignoring my texts sans

 **alph** : saaaaaaaaans

 **me** : alphys please

 **me** : im not into her

That seems to throw her off, and she doesn't text back. Undyne, however, does.

 **anger fish** : STOP CALLING ME UNDIES

 **anger fish** : Also alph says you don't think you're into her? At least give her a chance

Give her a chance? ...She makes it sound like the human has a crush on him or something. Which she most definitely does not.

 **me** : once again

 **me** : were not into each other

 **anger fish** : You don’t know that ;)

 **me** : undyne seriously

Sans flops back down on the couch, fed up. He can already feel the unwanted tugging at his soul. He’s done this before, he reminds himself. He’s tried to find his soulmate for timelines upon timelines and not once has he found them. Despite his internal turmoil, his soul aches insistently.

Sans doesn’t often develop feelings for people. By no means is he a cold, unemotional rock of a guy, but for him, crushes (he hates using the word “crush,” it’s so juvenile) are fortunately few and far between. Even though he’s never found his soulmate and he doesn’t expect to, he does remember a few incidents in past timelines where he thought he’d found someone that he could be happy with. (He’d been… incorrect.)

And honestly? He doesn’t want to get attached. He might be overreacting, but he’s a little nervous about this girl, because she could hurt him in so many ways and she wouldn’t even know. If he ends up in love with her, it could wreck him.

Because Sans knows that when he falls, he falls hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sans is............. kinda tsundere tbh. oops.
> 
> a mini shameless advertisement:
> 
> tumblr: eternalcircus
> 
> ig: flowermouths
> 
> also: would any of you like to see ref sheets for Bec/my Sans/any of this fic's characters? the reader character won't be given a canon name or design, of course, but if you'd like to see this fic's characters i'd be happy to provide!!


	6. like the stars chase the sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You spend the evening with your friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey all!! sorry if this chapter came out a little slowly but i'm almost on winter break so expect some more updates!!
> 
> some rough references for bec and sans can be found here.
> 
> thank you thank you thank you all so much for the lovely comments and feedback! I can't thank you all enough, it means so much to me that so many people are enjoying this little story of mine!
> 
> special thanks once again to my beta reader, the irl bec!! ur the best girl!!
> 
> enjoy this chapter!!

You're at work on Tuesday, relaxing in the warmth of the shop and waiting for customers, when you get the text.

 

**Undyne:** Hey punk we’re getting together tomorrow night at Sans and Pap’s and u better be there

 

You smile at your phone as you reply.

 

**Me** : of course! Is there anything I should bring?

 

**Undyne** : You don’t need to bring a gift or anything but u and ur roommate could bring snacks if u want? More snacks is always nice 

 

You make a mental reminder to grab some chips on your way home. Then, realizing that Bec is home and has the car, you text her to tell her about tomorrow night and ask her to get a few bags when she goes out. She replies only with a smiley face, which you interpret to be agreement and eagerly await the end of your shift so you can go home.

 

When your workday ends you lock up the store (Janie usually leaves just before you do, which you’re fine with since you kinda prefer being alone in the peaceful little store for a few minutes) and you walk home. The weather’s been unusually warm, even for early autumn, and although you can see some dark clouds in the distance, the sun lingers in the sky as you trek the few blocks home to your apartment building. You consider taking the stairs up to your apartment, but decide to indulge yourself and use the elevator. You press the button and rock on your heels as you wait for the door to open. After a few long moments, the elevator dings and you barely look up as you step forward, narrowly avoiding running directly into-

 

You look up.

 

Aw, seriously?

 

Sans grins at you as he steps out of the elevator. Is it just you, or does he look… embarrassed? You hope that’s not your fault. His smile is a little strained and his face is tinted slightly blue, even as he brushes past you and says, “hey, pal.”

 

“Oh, uh, hey,” you reply awkwardly, but he’s already on his way out of the building and you’re unsure if he even heard you. Shrugging it off as a possible Weird Sans Thing, you step into the elevator and press the button for the third floor. Bec greets you from her spot on the couch when you enter your apartment.

 

“Hey, there you are! What took you so long?” 

 

“Sorry.” You shrug off your jacket and toss it lazily over the arm of the couch. “I, uh, saw Sans in the elevator.”

 

“You did?” She sounds interested. “Well, what’d he say?”

 

“He just said hi. He seemed a little awkward, honestly.”

 

Bec nearly squeals. “Aww, he probably likes you!”

 

You stare blankly at her. “Uh-uh. I’ve known him for a week. There's no way he likes me like that."

 

That doesn't deter your best friend; she watches your face as she demands, "Okay, but do you like him?"

 

You roll your eyes. "Not yet. I mean, I guess he's cute and his bones are cool, but we don't know each other well enough and I’m not one to fall in love with a guy based on just looks.”

 

“But you do like him? You think he’s cute?”

 

She’s certainly persistent. “I guess,” you defer. “I guess I kinda like him.”

 

She drops the subject after that, satisfied, and you two spend the evening playing old Wii games and drinking disgusting amounts of Diet Coke. When you step into the kitchen to get refills, you notice several large bags of chips on the counter and grin. Oh, man, you are so pumped to hang out with your new friends. You think briefly about Sans. You really hope you hadn’t made him uncomfortable earlier. You’re pulled from your thoughts when Bec calls you from the living room, complaining that you’re taking too long. You return and she challenges you to a Just Dance battle.

 

After your exhausting dance defeat, you say goodnight to Bec and head to your room.

 

Gaster talks to you in your dreams, as usual. You’ve gotten pretty good at understanding his language, and you’re picking it up faster than you ever learned French in high school. Sometimes you need to spell his words out before you can understand them, but he seems to fully understand English, even if he can’t speak it.

 

You’re in the void before you even realize you’ve fallen asleep.

 

“Hello, my dear.” 

 

You stretch out in the expansive darkness, feeling the void fill every space around you. 

 

“Hey, Gaster.”

The two of you chat about your day. Sometimes he asks you questions about the surface, and although you don’t want to pry into his past, you’re fairly sure that he was trapped beneath Mt. Ebott with the monsters. 

 

You’ve still got some questions, though.

 

“Gaster?”

 

The void shifts. “Yes?”

 

“Are you a monster?”

 

“Yes. And no.”

 

You figure he’s trying to phrase it simply so you can understand it.

 

“I was… before.”

 

“Before what? And what are you now?”

 

“An accident. I don’t know.”

 

He’s being rather short with you and you figure he doesn’t want to talk about it. You drop the subject.

 

The night passes quickly and you wake up to the morning sunlight in your face..

 

Your day is… boring, honestly. You go to work, sort records, greet customers. Janie brings you a panini from the bakery next door for lunch, which is pretty nice. It’s still weirdly warm out, but as you head home that afternoon there’s the slightest drizzle of rain and the air feels a little humid. 

 

Undyne texts you as you reach your building:

 

**Undyne** : Hey me and alphys are here already. Sans says you can come over whenever you want

 

**Me** : okay!!

 

Seconds after you text Undyne back you receive another text, from a number you don’t recognize. You open it.

 

**Unknown Number** : HELLO HUMAN!!!!!

 

**Unknown Number** : UNDYNE GAVE ME YOUR NUMBER.

 

**Unknown Number** : ALSO, THIS IS PAPYRUS.

 

Oh. That makes more sense. You add him as a contact and reply to his texts.

 

**Me** : Oh hey Papyrus! I’m glad I’ve got your number now!

 

**Papyrus** : REALLY? WOWIE. I’M GLAD WE’RE FRIENDS, HUMAN.

 

**Me** : me too, papyrus!!

 

You smile to yourself as you walk upstairs. When you reach your floor, you go home first, to drop off your stuff and pick up Bec. 

 

“Hey,” you call as you walk in and toss your bag on the floor. You hear a muffled “hey!” from her room and you know she’s probably taken a nap sometime earlier in the afternoon. You pause, looking in the hall mirror. You're just wearing a too-big sweatshirt over an old tank top with leggings underneath, and you hope you won't be underdressed tonight. You knock on the door of Bec's room and she pokes her head out.

 

“Undyne texted me. We can come over whenever.”

 

She nods. “Give me five minutes and we can go over together.”

 

You leave her to get ready and grab the snacks from the kitchen. There’s a few different kinds, you observe, and you wonder which kinds your friends will like best. Did monsters eat the same kinds of foods as humans when they were underground? How did they grow food without sunlight? You figure you can ask them at some point- but not tonight, you remind yourself. You‘re just gonna hang out with your new friends-slash-neighbors. 

 

Bec strolls into the kitchen, her dark hair in a ponytail and her expression bright. You toss her a bag of chips and she catches it, grinning.

 

“Ready to go?” she asks and you nod excitedly, bouncing on the balls of your feet. The two of you head out the door and down the hall to the skeletons’ apartment. You hesitate for only a moment before knocking on the door. It’s opened almost immediately by Papyrus, who scoops you up in a bone-crushing hug (no pun intended) and proclaims, “THE HUMAN FRIENDS ARE HERE!”

 

“H-hey, Pap!” You’re smiling so hard your face hurts, even as he puts you down and turns to Bec.

 

“ARE YOU HER ROOMMATE?”

 

“Uh, yeah, that’s me-”

 

She’s cut off as Papyrus hugs her, too. “WONDERFUL! I AM GLAD YOU ARE HERE!”

 

He puts Bec down and you laugh at her overwhelmed expression as Papyrus beckons both of you inside. You follow the tall skeleton through the door and see your friends scattered around the apartment. Alphys is sitting on the couch next to Undyne with a pile of DVD’s, seemingly deciding which to watch. Papyrus busies himself bringing the chips you brought into the kitchen. You’re wondering where Sans is when you’re suddenly hugged from the side. 

 

“Darling! How are you?” You tense up at the surprise hug attack until you realize it’s Mettaton and relax.

 

“I’m good, Mettaton. How are ya?” Mettaton immediately begins talking your ear off but you can see Bec behind him with a weird expression on her face. The robot realizes you’re looking somewhere that isn’t his precisely sculpted face and he follows your gaze behind him to Bec.

 

"Y-you're Mettaton." Her eyes are wide and she's a little pink in the face. Mettaton seems incredibly pleased that she recognizes him.

 

"Are you a fan, sweetie?"

 

She nods so fast you think she might break her neck. Mettaton immediately starts gushing over his newest fan, asking her what movies of his she's seen and which she likes best, and she answers with incredible enthusiasm.

 

Meanwhile, Alphys and Undyne have come to an impasse on which DVD to watch tonight.

 

"Hey, punk!" Undyne demands. "Which sounds cooler- The Cat Returns or Princess Mononoke?"

 

You shrug, having seen both. "My personal preference would be Princess Mononoke."

 

"T-then it's settled," Alphys says quickly before Undyne can interject. The fish woman glares halfheartedly at you.

 

"I'll go with my girlfriend this time. But this better not be a wimpy princess movie."

 

"Oh, don't worry, you're gonna love it- wait, you two are dating?"

 

Alphys looks nervous and Undyne looks a little defensive. "Yeah, we are."

 

You grin. "That's adorable. I bet you two are just perfect for each other."

 

They glance at each other, blushing. Undyne's expression is equal parts proud and vulnerable, and Alphys quickly jumps up and says that you really all should start setting up for the movie before the King and Queen get here, grab the snacks, hurry up-

 

"woah, woah, alph. don't start the party without me."

 

You jump at the sound of his voice. Why does Sans always manage to startle you? You turn around and there he is, lazy grin and all. You take a second to notice what he's wearing- you remember him wearing a jacket all the other times you've seen him, but now he's only wearing a blue t-shirt and basketball shorts. On his feet are a pair of pink slippers, comically out-of-place on the large, frankly quite intimidating skeleton. 

 

"hey, lil' human. fancy seeing you in my house again." You realize he's talking to you and you jerk your head up to look him in the eye.

 

"Hi, Sans." You grin at him, and he chuckles softly to himself for a reason you can't quite place. He shuffles lazily past you and into the kitchen, presumably to help his brother. Bec bounces over to Alphys, interested in her movie collection, which the lizard monster seems to have brought the entirety of. (Mettaton is a little disappointed to discover that none of his movies are featured.)

 

Papyrus comes out of the kitchen with several bowls of dip and some cans of soda, which he begins to arrange on the coffee table with great precision.

 

"I can put some chips in bowls if you haven't yet?" you suggest to Papyrus, who looks grateful. 

 

"THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY SINCE MY LAZY BROTHER HAS NOT HELPED OUT WITH ANYTHING!"

 

You laugh softly and nod, heading into the kitchen. Sans is sitting at the kitchen table, resting his skull in one hand and holding a glass of milk in the other. You suppose being a skeleton would require a lot of calcium.

 

"Hey," you say softly, awkwardly. "I'm just, um, helping Papyrus bring stuff out."

 

"ok." He sounds uninterested but you can feel his eyelights follow you as you grab some bags and bowls from the counter and start emptying the chips out. You've emptied all but one of the bags when you hit a minor obstacle. The last chip bag is a different material than the others, thicker and harder to grip. You can't pull it open like you did the others, and you're not gonna make Sans open it for you. You bite your lip and turn around.

 

"Hey, do you have any scissors? I'm gonna have to cut this one open."

 

Sans takes a sip of milk and points at one of the drawers. You stare for a second (the bone around his teeth moves like lips when he drinks, that's so strange but it's so cool) before opening the drawer and pulling out a barely-used pair of kitchen scissors. 

 

You turn back to the bag and start cutting the corner off so you can tear the whole top open. It doesn't quite go as planned, though. Your hand slips and the top blade of the scissors slices the side of your thumb. You gasp in pain and drop both the bag and the scissors to the countertop. You watch as blood wells up from the cut, which is long but not deep, more like a serious scratch than anything else. Still, it stings like hell.

 

Sans is at your side almost immediately. He swears softly under his breath when he sees the blood and gently guides you the few steps to the sink and sticks your hand under running water. 

 

"Sorry, I'm fine, really, can I get a band-aid or something?"

 

He turns to you, his smile faded. "first of all, don't apologize. it was an accident. second, you're not fine, you're bleeding. third-" he pauses and looks away for a brief second before turning back to you- "i figure you're not the type to report a monster for using magic, so... would it be okay if i, um, healed you?"

 

You must look confused because he quickly explains.

 

"it only takes a second, you won't even have a scab or anything. it's, uh, not technically legal but i promise i know what i'm doing."

 

You nod, slowly. "Okay, sure."

 

He takes your hand in both of his (oh man, his hands are big and oddly warm) and focuses intently on your cut. You watch, transfixed, as his fingertips swirl with... what could only be magic. It's blue, like the color of his face when he blushes. He gently sweeps his thumb over your cut and you gasp, because _ holy shit that feels nice _ . Your cut stops hurting immediately and the sting is replaced with a gentle warming sensation. He brushes your hand with his magic once, twice more to ensure that there won't be a scar. 

 

You watch the magic fade from his finger bones and you stare for a second, amazed. He doesn't let go of your hand either. You look up, and his eyelights are fixed on your face.   Your hand still feels warm and tingly from his magic, and all at once, you feel something else, too. A resonance in your chest, an insistent tugging: the same warmth of his magic reaching your soul. His eyes meet yours for an infinitesimal moment, and then- he lets you go.

 

“does- does it feel any better?” His face is tinged with blue. You nod and cradle your hand with your uninjured one.

 

“Yeah, actually. Thanks.” He grins sheepishly at you and turns to put the scissors in the sink and finished opening the bag of chips.

 

“i’ll help you carry these out. i bet frisk and their parents are here by now.”

 

Quietly, the two of you grab the bowls and bring them out into the living room. Bec and Mettaton are sitting on one of the couches, next to Undyne and Alphys, who are talking to Bec animatedly about one of their favorite shows. Papyrus is seated on the floor next to a small child of about ten, and behind the two of them, on the couch, are a pair of large goat monsters with white fur. They look up when you and Sans enter and they smile at you, sitting up straighter to greet you. 

 

“toriel and asgore, the former queen and king of the underground,” Sans supplies, and you place your bowls on the coffee table before saying hello. 

 

“Hello,” Toriel murmurs, and she sounds so sweet and motherly that you can’t help but smile. Asgore introduces himself as well, in a low but kind voice. 

 

“This is Frisk,” Toriel says, gesturing to the child on the floor. “Frisk, say hello to their neighbor.”

 

Frisk jumps up and runs to hug you around the waist. You're taken by surprise, but when the kid looks up and grins at you your heart melts. You’re not quite sure what gender they are, but you think it might be rude to assume anything. You pat their head gently and they giggle, a sweet, bubbly sound. They step back from you and make a few quick gestures.

 

“They’re very glad to meet you.” Toriel smiles and you realize that Frisk is using sign language. Also, you keep in mind that their mother used gender-neutral pronouns.

 

Frisk plops back down next to Papyrus, who begins chattering about the movie you’re going to watch. Sans takes a seat on the other couch and, seeing no other available seats, you sit down next to him as Alphys announces that she’s starting the movie.

 

You’ve always loved Princess Mononoke, but tonight you’re a little distracted by the skeleton next to you. Each time you glance up to find him staring intently at the screen, you’re reminded of the feeling of his magic. You also keep noticing how damn big he is. His shoulders are far broader than that of most human guys, his hands had dwarfed yours so easily, and when he stretches midway through the film, his thigh brushes yours and you’re pretty sure his leg is, like, twice the width of your own. You’re definitely not uncomfortable, though. The guy practically radiates chill. 

 

Near the end of the movie, he leans over to whisper to you, and you swear he actually sounds a little shy.

 

“hey, um, i’m going tibia honest here, i haven’t really been following the plot of this movie. d’ya mind explaining what’s happening?”

 

You grin and tell him the context of the scene in a hushed whisper. He nods, slowly.

 

“ok. thanks.” He pauses before leaning close again. “uh, dunno if i mentioned it but i’m glad you and bec came over. seems like pap’s really taken a liking to ya.”

 

Aw, he really seems to care about his brother. “I’m glad I came over, too.”

 

He smiles, a real, genuine grin, and sits back, clearly at ease. You settle back into the couch and relax as the movie ends. 

 

As the credits roll, you take a second to look around at your new friends. Bec seems comfortable with them, and you get the feeling that the monsters like you, too. You look back at Sans for a moment. There’s something about him, something new and different that you’ve never seen in any human or monster before… 

 

But you kinda like it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's this? a shameless advertisement?
> 
> tumblr: eternalcircus
> 
> ig: flowermouths
> 
> thank you all for reading!!


	7. it's a hell of a feeling, though

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some weird stuff is happening to you.
> 
> Sans makes a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey yall!
> 
> remember when i said i'd post during break? haha me too. aaaanyway here's the next chapter!! it's a little short but we're starting to really get into the plot so hang in there!
> 
> thank you thank you thank you once again to everyone who's sticking with me for this fic! also massive thanks to everyone who commented, gave kudos, and bookmarked! 
> 
> special thanks again to bec for being the literal best. i'm serious she's the best.
> 
> hope you all enjoy!!!

 

That night, when you fall asleep, you don’t find yourself in the void. Instead, for once, you dream. 

 

You’re walking in an unfamiliar forest on a summer’s day. The air is humid and the grass beneath your feet rustles musically with each step. Sunlight filters through the trees and brushes warmly against your face. Birds sing in the branches high above you, and insects buzz and flit among the leaves. You sigh happily as you go, gazing at the serene forest around you. Does Gaster know you’re here? You’re unsure, but this dream is so nice, you don’t want it to end too quickly.

 

The ground beneath your feet begins to slope upwards. It’s not too steep at first, but as you go on, the uphill climb becomes tiring and your pace slows. You don’t mind, it gives you more time to admire the scenery. Soft green leaves, a gentle breeze, the summer sun hanging in a blue sky dotted with clouds… it’s lovely. 

 

You’re so busy looking around you that you don’t notice the exposed bit of a tree root in your path until it’s too late. Your foot catches on it and you stumble. You throw your hands out in front of you to catch yourself, but you don’t feel yourself hit the ground. Instead, you open your eyes to see what looks like a cavern or sinkhole looming below you. You’re so amazed that you only realize you’re falling into it when your stomach drops as you’re sent tumbling head-over-heels into the abyss below. You feel a scream bubble in your throat but it never reaches your lips. You hit the ground at the bottom of the hole hard. It was never the fall that killed people, you realize as your consciousness faded. It was the landing.

  
  
  


You wake what feels like days later to the taste of blood on your lips. You’re lying on something soft, but you can still feel the hard ground below you. Your nose and mouth ache with the sickly-sweet scent of flowers. You struggle to open your eyes, your whole body shaking with the effort of moving. 

 

It’s so dark. Everything hurts. Your vision is blurry. Panicked, you’re vaguely aware that you’re surrounded by a large bed of soft yellow flowers. Your head aches, and as you try and stand, you feel a rush of strange emotion overcome you. Your veins fill with adrenaline and your skin itches with an odd and unwanted impulse. The impulse to hurt, to destroy, to tear away at yourself until it all stops hurting you. Your blood burns. You feel righteous. You stand, head pounding, and take a step, crushing one of the golden flowers under your foot. You manage to take a few steps before you stumble and fall to your knees. You’re so exhausted. Part of you just wants to curl up here in the flowers and let the heady, thick fragrance lull you to sleep. But it seems the new anger doesn’t want to lie dormant. Your limbs ache as you force yourself to your feet, your vision blurring, your head buzzing. 

 

You stare resolutely at the darkness around you until your vision clears. You take a shallow breath, and then-

 

You step forward into the restless dark and you’re immediately catapulted from the dream. The darkness tears away like fabric, crumbling like dust before you. Startled, you turn around as the ground beneath you fades away into nothing. You try to scream but there’s no sound, there’s no anything, you can’t breathe. You panic, your stomach dropping as the last pieces of the dream fall away.

 

“Are you alright? Human?”

 

It’s Gaster. You’re in the void again.

 

You sit up, slowly, and wrap your arms around yourself. The void hovers nervously around you, as if Gaster is withdrawing from you, concerned.

 

“What happened to me?” Your voice is shaky. Lately you’ve been speaking to Gaster in his language for fun, even though he understands English, but now you're far too shaken to attempt anything but your native tongue. 

 

"Nightmare," Gaster says, and he definitely sounds concerned, but there's a weird edge to his presence. 

 

"I haven't had a nightmare in months. What was that?"

 

Gaster doesn't respond, just wraps the void around you as comfortingly as he can.

The two of you sit in silence for hours.

 

“It’s morning,” Gaster finally tells you, his darkness hesitantly nudging you towards waking. “I’ll see you when you fall asleep again.”

 

“Bye, Gaster,” you murmur nervously as you fade out of sleep and into consciousness. There's a few moments of empty nothingness before you open your eyes to the insistent beeping of your alarm. You reach over and swipe blindly at your clock until the alarm shuts off. You might feel well rested after nights in the void, but that doesn’t make it any easier to wake up, especially after your weird-ass nightmare. You groan softly and force yourself up to get out of bed. 

 

You begin to pull yourself into a standing position, rubbing your eyes with one hand. But as soon as your bare feet hit the carpet, you feel a sharp pressure in your head and you gasp as your ears pop and fill with static. There’s a hissing whine, so high it almost hurts. You clap your hands over your ears, trying futilely to block out the sound. 

 

The crackling, snarling static starts fading, and you slowly pull your hands away. What was that? Were you hurt? Maybe you’d gotten water in your ears or something. You snap your fingers next to your left ear and then the right. No, you could hear just fine. 

 

Confused and shaken, you sit back down for a second, tilting your head absently to try and balance out your head.

 

“ **Can you hear me?** ”

 

You jump at the sudden sound, heart hammering. The voice is kinda familiar, but it’s so unexpected that it startles you. You glance warily around your room. 

 

“Hello?”

 

“ **It’s me. Are you okay?** ”

 

The voice thrums, resonating somewhere in the back of your head and you realize it’s Gaster.

 

“Gaster? Where are you?”

 

“ **Here. In your head. ----------.** ”

 

You don’t understand that last bit but you get the jist of it. You can hear Gaster now. 

 

“What’s happening?”

 

You can almost feel his void shifting in your head. It’s so complicated and new that you don’t want to think about it.

 

“ **I’m ----------.** ” There’s that word again, the one you don’t understand. 

 

“What’s that word? Spell it.”

 

He spells it out for you, painstakingly, his voice rattling around in your head each time he speaks.

 

“Pr- projecting? Is that it?”

 

“ **Yes. Projecting. I can see you. You can hear me.** ”

 

“Can you always see me, or is that a projection thing?” You’re suddenly reminded of just about every embarrassing thing you’ve done in the past two months and you wonder, sheepishly, if Gaster’s seen all that.

 

“ **No,** ” Gaster says, sounding thoughtful. “ **Only now. This is new.** ”

 

Okay. You’re a little relieved. Still, there’s a lot of unanswered questions. Can he read your thoughts? God, you hope not. 

 

You take a second to test this by thinking  _ Gaster is a nerd  _ really, really hard.

 

He doesn’t respond. You guess that means he can’t read your thoughts. You stand up, self-conscious when you consider that Gaster is present and watching you. 

 

“Are you just… gonna be in my head from now on, then?” You ask, trying to make light of the situation as you head over to your dresser.

 

“ **I don’t think so. Takes a lot of energy. ------.** ”

 

“What was that last bit?”  He spells it out. Your ears ring a little less, now that you’re used to the feeling.

 

“Effort? Oh, okay.”

 

“ **I need time to think. I will leave you for now.** ” 

 

You remember your many talks with Gaster and recall that he mentioned that he had an interest in science. Perhaps he could figure out why this was happening.

 

“Okay.” You’re still pretty shaken up. This is all happening so fast. 

 

You hear a crackle, a buzz, and another, gentler pressure in the back of your head. And then he’s gone.

 

You take a deep, steadying breath. Then you open your dresser and pull out your favorite shirt, a soft gray one with long sleeves. 

 

It’s gonna be a long day.

 

\------

 

Sans is sitting at the bar at Grillby’s Topside, drinking ketchup from a faceted glass tumbler and people-watching. He rests his elbow on the bar and leans his skull into his hand. He sure is tired. 

He left work early, figuring he needs a break after all the stress of moving in. 

 

He takes a sip of the condiment in front of him and thinks about the text he got earlier. It was from Undyne, who once again reminded him that they were having anime night again on Friday and he needed to invite his neighbors because she did it last time and now it’s his turn. It’s just a thinly veiled attempt to get him to talk to that girl, the one who he’d met in the record store that day. 

 

He considers giving in to his friends and just asking her out.

 

Nah. Nope. Not doin’ it. She’s pretty, but he really didn’t want to ask her out just because she was pretty. He barely knows her.   _ You could get to know her _ , the voice in his head tells him, and his soul quivers traitorously. 

 

Sans slumps over, his head on the bar, his hand touching the top of his glass. Why’s this human so complicated? No, that’s a lie. She’s been nothing but kind to him. He just… doesn’t know what to think of her. He likes her, likes her a lot in fact, but he knows his tendency to get attached too quickly and he really doesn’t wanna scare her off.

 

_ But still _ , the voice in his head insists. Would it really be so bad if he maybe… spent some time with her, just to get to know her? If she came to like him in return, then he could ask her out for real. And if not, well, he’ll have to find something about her to dislike. 

 

Sans takes a resigned sip of ketchup and sighs, admitting defeat to himself. He does want to ask her out.   _ Then do it _ , the voice (which is beginning to sound suspiciously like Undyne) says.  _ You’re making this too hard for yourself. _

 

He supposes that’s par for the course at this point. He’s always over complicating things with too much emotion and not enough action. It’s the same feeling he gets when he thinks about past resets, about times when Frisk was… not the same. 

 

_ Maybe if you’d stopped moping around, you could have saved Toriel. _

 

_ Maybe if you’d quit napping all the time, you could have saved Undyne and Alphys. _

 

_ Maybe if you’d just put some effort into it, you could have saved Papyrus. _

 

He shakes his head quickly, too quickly, trying to wipe the thoughts from his head. He doesn’t need to be this negative, especially not with his current circumstances. He’s with his brother. Frisk and their parents and his friends are all here and alive. He might have you, too, if he figures out the mess of his emotions.

 

He should at least talk to you, he decides, against his better judgement. He can at the very least get to know you before he goes doing anything that he might regret.

 

Maybe the two of you can get coffee or something. That’d be nice. (His soul jitters again and he presses a hand absently to his chest.) As far as dealing with Alph and Undyne, it’d either shut them up for a little while or send them into a massive, unstoppable shipping rampage. He’s pretty sure it’ll be the latter. Either way, he’s got to work up the courage to approach her first.

 

He suddenly remembers the expression she’d had when he healed her, her hand resting in his as his magic brushed her fingers. 

  
...Maybe he had a better chance with her than he’d thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a belated shameless advertisement:
> 
> my tumblr: eternalcircus (find ref sheets for Bec and my Sans here!!)
> 
> my instagram: flowermouths (check it out for mediocre undertale cosplay and shenanigans!)
> 
> thanks once again for reading!!! <3


	8. i'll be your daydream, i'll be your favorite thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has a question for you.
> 
> You have a good time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y'all! sorry for the wait, but school's a beast and updates might slow down a bit because of that. don't worry, i'm not abandoning this story juuuust yet. ;)
> 
> 150+ kudos and 1500+ hits? you all are too kind!!! thank you!!!
> 
> special thanks once again to bec, the world's best beta reader!!
> 
> i hope you enjoy this chapter!!

It’s a beautiful day outside. 

  


Your town is close enough to Mt. Ebott that it’s got plenty of trees and foliage, but just populated enough to be considered suburban. That being said, in the autumn the trees are vividly colored with scarlets and oranges and yellows and even reddish purples as the leaves turn with the seasons. Unfortunately, the color show only lasts a week or two before the winds pick up and blow the leaves to the ground.

  


They’re pretty while they last, you think to yourself. You’re at work, watching the grayish clouds drift by in the cooling breeze. You can see some trees behind the building on the other side of the street, bright leaves fluttering and dancing. You rest your chin on your hand and sigh. Your day has been good so far, honestly. The shop’s kinda busy today, but you really don’t mind, especially considering that business has been dragging a little lately. You spent the morning opening shipments of books that came in over the last week, and as the day stretches into the afternoon you station yourself at the register. 

  


You drum your fingers on the spine of the book you’re holding and hum quietly. You’re playing an old John Denver album today, and the soft thrum of a folk song you faintly remember the words to fills the shop, surrounding you and the few patrons who are shopping. You’re reading The Great Gatsby for what seems like the millionth time, looking up from the pages only to watch the wind rustle the trees or ring up a customer’s purchases. One by one, the shop empties, and you’re left to enjoy your book and the music in peace.

  


That is, until you hear the jingle of the door opening.

  


“Welcome to River Street Records, how can I-” You look up. “Oh, hey, Sans.”

  


The skeleton lets the door fall shut behind him. “hey.”

  


“What’s up?” You close your book and lean forward on the counter. “Looking for a book or something?”

  


He shakes his head and shifts his weight from one side to the other.

  


“actually, pal, i, uh, came to talk to you.”

  


You raise an eyebrow and grin at him. “Little old me? Aw, Sans, you shouldn’t have!”

  


“heh. right, um, undyne wanted me to tell you that you and your roommate are officially invited to anime night again on friday.”

  


“Aw, heck yeah!” You slide your book to the side of the counter, making space for you to rest both elbows on the flat surface and prop your chin in your hands. “Bec will be so pumped. We had a really good time.”

  


“that’s good.” You notice that Sans keeps glancing away from you and back again. He keeps shifting from side to side, too. You wonder if it’s a nervous tic. Weird, you never really pegged Sans as a nervous type at all. Maybe it’s another Weird Sans Thing? You should start making a list of those.

  


“So… did you come all this way to tell me I could come over again this weekend? Not that I don’t appreciate the company, but you could have just, I dunno, told Papyrus to text me.”

  


“wh- no, no, that’s not everything. i just-” He starts looking anxious. “uh, i just, um..."

  


He trails off and a bead of blue-tinged sweat trickles down the side of his skull. Oh man, now he really looks nervous, poor big guy. 

  


"You okay, Sans?" You tilt your head, concerned, and he sighs shakily.

  


"crap. sorry, i'm just... not good with this kind of thing." Before you can ask him what he’s talking about, he continues, his grin faltering a little.

  


“i just- everyone says- fuck, okay, i’m sorry. sorry.” He takes a deep breath. “do you, maybe, uh… want to get a drink with me or somethin’ sometime?”

  


You pause. 

  


Is… is he asking you out? 

  


Your heart jumps. You don’t get asked out very often.

  


“You mean like a date?” You clarify and Sans fidgets.

  


“well, uh, if you want it to be. not- not that it has to be, if you don’t want that, which is fine-”

  


It’s honestly kinda sweet, this big scary skeleton man reduced to nervous stutters as he asks you out on a date. And you know you told Bec that you weren’t going to date him right off the bat- you’ve only just met him and you don’t like moving too fast in relationships, but…

  


You find that you can’t even imagine saying no to him.

  


“Sure,” you say, and he stops mid-ramble, his cheekbones blue. 

  


“really? o-ok.” He tries to regain composure, straightening up and picking at his jacket sleeves. 

  


“Yeah.” You give him what you hope is a reassuring smile. “Actually, I was gonna head out on break soon, so… d’ya wanna come with?”

  


His eyes light up and you have to suppress a giggle. 

  


“yeah! i mean, if that’s ok.”

  


“It is.” You slide off the stool and grab your jacket as you step out from behind the counter.

  


“Janie! I’m goin’ on break!” you yell to your boss, who’s in the back of the shop. She calls back an affirmative and you turn to Sans, bouncing on the balls of your feet as you slip your jacket on. 

  


“Let’s go.”

  


He holds open the door for you as you exit out into the cool air of the afternoon. You pause on the sidewalk, considering your lunch options. You’re really not super hungry, and Sans had suggested drinks. You remember that there’s a coffee shop about a block away; it’s not very big but you’ve been there once or twice.

  


“How does coffee sound?” you ask Sans, and he nods. 

  


“sounds good.”

  


You start off down the sidewalk and Sans matches pace with you. You take your time, wanting to savor the nice weather and your company. You’ve spent time with Sans before, but not like this. You cringe a little internally as you remind yourself that you can count on one hand how many times you’ve spoken with him. And now you’re going on a date.

  


For someone who likes to take it slow, you sure are moving fast. Now that you think about it, you would have thought that Sans would be the one to take relationships slow, considering he seemed to dislike effort in general. But then again, you really don’t know him that well, do you?

  


“Hey, Sans?” You slow your stride and he does the same, eyelights bright as he looks over at you.

  


“yeah?” 

  


You glance down at your feet for a second, then look back up at him. “Look, I’m really not used to this whole, you know, go out with a guy immediately after meeting him kind of thing, so..."

  


He looks away. "you, uh, don't have to go out with me if you don't wanna."

  


"No, shit, that's not at all what I meant! I absolutely want to go out with you-" he flushes blue again- "I just don't want to mess this up."

  


"oh." He looks like he wasn’t expecting that. "same. i, uh, really just wanna get to know you."

  


You feel warm and a little giddy. Sans still has a slight tint of blue on his face as the two of you continue down the sidewalk. He moves the slightest bit closer to you as you go, just enough that his arm brushes yours every few steps. You find you don't mind it at all.

  


When you reach the cafe, you find it pleasantly empty, especially considering it's lunchtime. There are a few people seated inside, eating or sipping coffee. 

  


The barista smiles at the two of you as you enter, and gestures to a waitress, who leads you over to a table by the window. 

  


“Can I get you two anything to drink?”

  


You think for a second. “Could I have a hot chocolate?”

  


She nods before turning to Sans. “And you?”

  


“same here.”

  


She leaves to get your drinks, leaving you and your date (your heart flutters at the word “date”) alone.

  


Sans rests his elbows on the table, a giddy, dazed grin spreading across his face. 

  


“so, kid… let’s get to know each other.”

  


You laugh and lean back, crossing one leg over the other. “Alright. What do you want to know?”

  


He considers this. “y’know what? let’s play a game. i’m gonna ask you a question, and for every one you answer, you can ask me one in return, and we keep going until we get bored.”

  


“Pshht. Okay. You go first.”

  


He pretends to be deep in thought for a few seconds before leaning slightly towards you. “How old are you?”

You tell him and he nods in response. “Okay,” you continue, “my turn. Let’s see… how old are  _ you _ ?”

  


He almost looks hesitant. “uh... monsters don’t really measure age the same way humans do? i mean, i’m definitely older than you, in human years.”

  


“Exactly how old?” You’re curious. 

  


He looks doubtful. “i... i dunno, actually. monsters tend to be older than humans ‘cause our lifespans are naturally longer, so… just older than you, pal.”

  


You hum. “Okay, cool. Your turn.”

  


“wait.” Sans looks startled. “you’re not weirded out by the whole, y’know, i-could-technically-be-a-hundred-years-old monster age thing?”

  


“Not really?” You shrug. “I mean, you don’t act like a hundred-year-old human and you don’t look old? I mean, you’re a skeleton, but i would have assumed you were, like, twenty-five.”

  


“you flatter me, kiddo.” He’s grinning sheepishly at you as the waitress comes and hands you each a large mug of cocoa, topped with a big spiral of whipped cream. Both of you grab your drinks and take a sip, and you sigh happily at the sweet warmth.

  


“Okay,” you mumble around a mouthful of cocoa, “your turn.”

  


He nods and sets his cup back on the table. You giggle when you notice that he’s got a line of whipped cream clinging to his face just above his grin. 

  


“what’s so  _ humerus _ ?”

  


You snort at the bone pun and point. He realizes what’s happening and, without warning, his mouth  _ opens _ and a slightly transparent, bright, blue-raspberry colored  _ tongue  _ swipes the whipped cream from his face. He closes his mouth and you’re left with several revelations to put on the List Of Weird Sans Things. For example: he can open his mouth. Also, he has a tongue. Also, that tongue is blue. (And you’re not quite sure, but when he opened his mouth you’re a good seventy percent positive you caught a glimpse of his canines, which looked pointier than the rest of his teeth and could really only be called fangs.)

  


“you okay?”

  


He’s raising an eyebrow (?) at you, looking a little concerned.

  


“I’m fine, it’s just- I didn’t know you can do that.”

  


“wh- oh, the tongue?” You nod and his grin widens. “there’s not a lot that monster magic can’t do, pal.”

  


“Anyway,” you say, trying not to think about the not-safe-for-work implications of that statement (and failing). “Your turn.”

  


“right, ok. tell me about your family.”

  


“Eh, not much to say. No brothers or sisters, pretty solid relationship with my parents and relatives. I visit them on holidays and they call me all the time. What about you?”

  


He looks uncomfortable for a second and you regret asking. “Sorry, was that- do you not wanna talk about it?”

  


“no, no, it’s fine.” He nods resolutely at you. “there’s me, of course, and papyrus. we don’t have any other siblings. never knew my mom. dunno if we had one, honestly. i remember dad well enough, but… pap doesn’t. he doesn’t know that we ever had parents in the first place.”

  


“Oh, gosh.” That was heavy. Probably not first date material, but hey, you asked for it.

  


“hey, it’s not so bad. pap and i manage just fine, the two of us.”

  


He takes another sip of cocoa and the smile returns to his face. “My turn.”

  


The two of you go back and forth for a while, until you’ve finished your drinks. You tell Sans about things like how you met Bec (you played dungeons and dragons with her a few years ago) and your favorite food (mac and cheese), your star sign (he doesn’t have one but he finds astrology fascinating) and in return, Sans reveals that his town in the underground was in an eternal winter so he likes warm places best, he used to perform standup comedy and wants to get back into it, and that his favorite activities include sleeping and collecting socks. You’re pretty sure he was joking about that last one, but hey, to each his own. 

  


The game ends and the two of you are finishing your drinks, chatting absently. You find your gaze dropping to the table- he’s got one hand wrapped around his cup and the other resting on the table itself. You don’t realize you’re staring until-

  


“see somethin’ you like?”

  


You flush, slightly embarrassed at being caught staring. “Sorry, it’s nothing, I just… how exactly does the whole skeleton thing work? Like, how are you held together?”

  


He shrugs, unfazed by your question. You assume that he’s gotten this kind of question a lot since he arrived topside. He holds his hand out to you and you take it.

  


“it’s magic. duh.” 

You examine his hand in both of yours. It’s bigger than yours, certainly, but it’s not the same as a human hand, either. His palm is just one smooth surface of bone, but the back of his hand is slightly ridged in the way you’d expect a human hand to be. His fingers aren’t several pieces connected by joints, but rather pure bone that seems to move like human fingers, with slight indentations where knuckles and joints would be. 

  


“weird, right?”

  


“No,” you say, letting go of his hand. “Not weird.”

  


“then what?” He sounds legitimately curious.

  


“You’re interesting, Sans.” You grin and take ahold of your mug. “Interesting.”

  


He laughs, a deep rumble of a sound that sends pleasant shivers down your spine.

  


“oh man, you’re a riot. interesting, huh? so are you, lil’ human.”

  


His laughter is contagious, and you find yourself giggling without much of a reason to. You take a sip of your cocoa and smile to yourself. When you glance up at him again, he’s slightly blue in the face, grinning right back at you.

  


“hey,” he says after a moment. “shouldn’t you be gettin’ back to work?”

  


You take a look at your phone screen. Yeah, you really gotta go.

  


“Ugh, yeah, you’re right.” You stand up, and he does the same. You pull enough money for both drinks and a tip out of your wallet and leave it on the table. Sans hesitates.

  


“you don’t have to pay for mine-”

  


“I wanted to,” you say firmly. 

  


“i can pay you back?”

  


“Nope. Don’t even try,” you say, grinning. “You can repay me by walking me back to work.”

  


He nods, considering this. 

  


“actually, if you’d prefer, we could try something else,” he murmurs as you both head to the door. 

  


“What do you mean?” You raise an eyebrow as you step out onto the street. “I’m not that kind of girl, Mister Skeleton.”

  


“not- that’s not what i meant!” He turns light blue and you giggle. “i was wondering if- if you’d maybe like to try a different way of getting back.”

  


“Besides walking?” You’re confused.

  


“yeah, like-” He lowers his voice. “like teleporting.”

  


“Holy shit.” You look up at him. “You can do that? Is it safe?”

  


“yeah, yeah, it’s totally safe, i just can’t do it in plain sight, y’know, the whole magic ban.”

  


“Of course.” You bounce on your toes, excited. “Can you show me?”

  


“you wanna?” You nod and he grins at you. “ok. c’mon.”

  


He leads you down the block, into the space between two buildings, where you won’t be visible from the street.

  


“okay, you gotta hold onto me. don’t let go, alright?” 

  


He holds out his hand and you take it. His fingers lace with yours and you tighten your hold. 

  


“ready?” You nod. “okay, here we go-”

  


There’s a blink, a drop in your stomach, and a burst of static in your ears-

  
  
  


You’re standing in front of your work. Sans is smiling devilishly at you.

  


“how was that?”

  


“Wow.” You glance around, shift your feet on the ground, making sure it’s really all there before you turn back to Sans, a wondrous smile spreading on your face.

  


“That is so cool, you have no idea.”

  


He chuckles and squeezes your hand before letting go. (...You hadn’t realized you were still holding on. Oh well.)

  


“Thanks, Sans. I really liked this.”

  


“the teleportation or the date?” He wiggles his bone eyebrows at you.

  


“Pfft. Both, you giant nerd.” You swat gently at his arm but he steps away before you can hit him. 

  


“get back to work, _ lazybones _ .” 

  


“Sans!” You’re laughing and so is he. You turn to open the door to the record store, but a hand on your arm stops you. You turn around and look up at Sans. His grin is somehow softer than earlier, more vulnerable.

  


“i’m, uh, really glad that we got to spend time together. d’ya think we could, i dunno, do this again sometime?”

  


“Of course!” You’re smiling so hard your face hurts, and delight bubbles up inside you. Sans visibly relaxes at your response.

  


“ok. see you later, then.” 

  


He runs his hand down your arm, but stops at your wrist instead of letting go. Before you register what’s happening, he takes your hand in his and brings it close to his face. You feel the briefest nuzzle against the back of your hand before he steps back. There’s a slight ozone fizz in the air and suddenly Sans is gone.

  


You freeze for a second. Was that… a skeleton kiss? Almost immediately you start laughing because that was  _ the cutest damn thing you’ve ever seen. _ You decide Sans is a for-real, legit sweetheart under that huge, intimidating facade, which makes your soul feel all weird and warm again. Maybe you should get that checked out.

  


As you head back into work, you think about that weird static you’d heard when Sans teleported you. It was… oddly similar to the sound you heard when Gaster was in your head. You decide to ask Gaster at some point if he could teleport.

  


You plop your jacket back down on your stool and head to the back of the shop to put on some music. You ponder a few before pulling a Frank Sinatra record from the rack and pulling the vinyl from its sleeve. You place it down on the player and set the needle on top, then turn the volume up. Strong, sweet brass fills your ears and you turn around as Sinatra’s voice rings through the shop. It’s been a long afternoon, albeit a good one.

  


“ _ There may be trouble ahead… but while there’s music and moonlight and love and romance… let’s face the music and dance. _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a bird, it's a plane, it's a shameless advertisement:
> 
> tumblr: NOTE!! my tumblr has been changed from eternalcircus to flowerrmouths!!!
> 
> instagram: hmu @flowermouths for some mediocre cosplay and quality shenanigans!!
> 
> thanks for reading!!


	9. somebody to love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You ask some questions and answer some questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy i've got a lot to say here so bear with me:
> 
> 1\. firstly, i am so sorry for the unannounced hiatus. a few things happened, including school really getting hectic and a slight loss of interest in the source material of this fic. but hey, i'm back now and i'm not giving up on this project yet  
> 2\. second, massive thanks to everyone who has read this so far and to everyone who still has this bookmarked despite my hiatus! i really love writing this at the end of the day and its little things like kudos and comments that help me stay motivated!  
> 3\. however, i may take a brief hiatus after this chapter is posted because i need to survive the end of my sophomore year of high school, and also in order to start work on some smaller projects. speaking of...  
> 4\. you may have noticed that my username has been changed from eternalcircus to stormdove! this change was also mirrored on my tumblr. i changed it because i felt i needed a fresh start in my writing because i've grown so much as writer since joining ao3 in 2014.  
> 5\. if you check out my tumblr (link in end notes) you can now request smaller, one or two chapter fics for all sorts of fandoms! just shoot me an ask and i'll do my best!  
> 6\. as always, massive thanks to the real Bec, beta reader extraordinaire!! i wouldn't be as confident or motivated about this fic without her!
> 
> thanks for reading all of this and please enjoy this chapter! it's a little filler-y but i needed to patch up a few plot holes lol

A few days pass by uneventfully. You text Sans a lot, and your conversations are playful and even flirty at times, but you don’t see him at all, not even in the hallways of your apartment building. You’re sure he’s just busy and your schedules don’t match up, but there’s a paranoid little part of you that wonders if he’s avoiding you after your “date.” Eventually, you decide to text Alphys about it, after realizing that both Papyrus and Undyne would hesitate to tell the truth if he was actually avoiding you. 

 

You’re sitting on your couch after work, watching Bec play Breath of the Wild for what is probably the hundredth time, and you’re about to pick up your phone to send the text when you hear a buzz of static. Startled, you look around, but Bec is unfazed, as if she hadn’t heard the sound at all. 

 

**“Hello, human.”**  Oh. It’s Gaster. You feel kinda dumb for not remembering that he could pop into your head at will now. 

 

“Hey.” You smile to yourself at the sound of Gaster’s ghostly voice, amused by just how weird the whole void-dude-dream-mind-projection thing is. At least, you are until Bec looks up from her game and turns to you, confused. 

 

“Who are you talking to?”

 

You blink at her. The situation takes a second to sink in. In your head, Gaster fills the awkward silence with chatter:

 

**“Is that your roommate? She looks concerned. Is she alright?”**

 

“Sorry, Bec,” you say, shaking your head as if to clear it. “Just daydreaming, got a little too deep.” 

 

She snorts and goes back to her game. “Pffft. Thinking about your hot date with your new boyfriend?” You sputter in protest and she laughs. “I’m just messing with you. By the way, have you talked to him since then? I haven’t seen him around.”

 

You consider telling her about your worries, but you’re a little distracted by Gaster, who is sending you a constant stream of glitchy speech that’s almost too fast for you to translate, but you think it’s something along the lines of:  **_“You have a boyfriend? Is he a human? Do I know him? Does he bring you flowers? If he hurts you I will destroy him-”_ **

“First of all, he's not my boyfriend. Second, I think he’s busy with work,” you hum, trying to sound nonchalant while giving both Gaster and Bec the answers they want. “He texts me a lot, so I think he’s still interested.”

 

**“He is neglecting you? Oh, my dear, he is definitely not worth your time-”**

 

“Shh,” you hiss, masking the sound with a half-cough, half-sniffle sound so as not to attract any more confusion.  “Actually, I’m gonna go make some tea, I’ll be right back,” you say a little louder than necessary, and you get up off the couch and head for the kitchen. Bec nods, distracted again by her game. 

 

You’re… not sure how to approach this topic with Gaster. You haven’t mentioned your roommates to him yet, only that the barrier was broken and the monsters have emerged to the surface. For a while, he asked you about it, but he only ever wanted to know about the science of the barrier and you didn’t know much about that. In fact, you don’t think Gaster knows that you’ve ever met a monster in real life at all. You wonder, briefly, why he’s never asked. Maybe he’s nervous, or maybe he has a bad history with other monsters. You don’t want to upset him, but…you’re really curious.

 

**“Tell me about this boyfriend of yours.”**

 

You pause. “He is  _ not _ my boyfriend. Did I ever tell you about my neighbors?” You keep your voice down, in case Bec is listening.

 

You feel a wave of frustration from Gaster.

 

**“No, but do not change the subject. Tell me about him.”**

 

“No, it's relevant, I promise. You know how the monsters came to the surface?” You don't wait for an answer. “Okay, well, I, um, live really close to the mountain so all the monsters live in my town now and my new neighbors are monsters and I may or may not have gone on a date with one of them but he's absolutely definitely not my boyfriend yet.”

 

Gaster is silent. You think for a second that maybe you’ve said too much, but then the static crackles again.

 

**“I apologize, my dear, but it is difficult to project like this for so much time. This is interesting news.”**

 

His voice is already warping and fading, almost like a record skipping. He doesn't sound angry, though, so you guess he’s taking it pretty well.

 

You take a deep breath and set yourself to the task of making tea. You stick a mug under the coffeemaker and press the “hot water” button. Once the mug is filled, you pull an herbal tea bag from the cabinet and plop it into the mug. Then you top off your drink with a little cold water to cool it enough for you to drink. Sipping your tea, you head back into the living room. 

 

Bec has paused her game and is stretching lazily out on her side of the couch. You set your drink on the coffee table and flop backwards into the worn leather and sigh.

 

“You good?” Bec asks, glancing over at you. You nod and tuck your feet up under you. 

 

“I’m fine. Things have been weird lately.”

 

She rolls her eyes at you good-naturedly. “Dunno if you've noticed, but things have been weird for a few months now. Some monsters came out of the mountain near our town.”

 

You swat at her arm playfully, giggling at her sarcasm. She picks up her Switch controller and turns around, plunking her feet into your lap as she unpauses her game and resumes playing. You watch her for a few minutes before picking up your phone to text Alphys. You’d gotten her number through Undyne, who had insisted that you two talk “about your anime nerd stuff.” You keep meaning to add her to a group chat with you and Bec, but it keeps slipping your mind. Oops.

 

**Me** : hey can I ask you a question?

 

**Alphys** : yes!!! go ahead!!!

 

**Me** : this is going to sound weird and clingy and i might regret asking about this but

 

**Me** : is sans avoiding me?

 

**Alphys:** um?? no?? i don’t think so

 

**Alphys** : what makes you think he’s avoiding you?

 

**Me** : I mean we went on a date, kinda, and it was nice and he’s been texting me but i haven’t seen him around

 

You wait for a few minutes but she doesn’t respond. You’re about to groan with despair and throw your phone onto the couch when it buzzes in your hand and starts ringing. Bec looks quizzically over at you and you shrug, moving her feet from your lap as you stand up. It’s Alphys. You swipe on the screen to answer the call and realize as you lift your phone to your ear that maybe Sans didn’t tell Alphys about your date.

 

“ _ You went on a DATE _ ?” Alphys screeches in your ear and you wince, pulling your phone away from your ear. Bec looks up at you, having heard Alphys’s squeal, and you grimace at her before stepping back into the kitchen to talk to Alphys. 

 

“Calm down, it wasn’t really a date, I-”

 

“Undyne is gonna bust a nut when she hears this-”

 

“Do you even know what ‘bust a nut’ means?” You’re thoroughly confused and a little concerned.

 

“That’s irrelevant,” she chatters, and you hear the sound of shuffling papers. “Tell me e-everything about your date.”

 

“Why do you need to know all this? Are you writing this down or something?”

 

You hear more shuffling papers. “...N-no? Why would I be writin- you know what, t-that’s also irrelevant. I need to know this because A, I’m your friend, and B, I’m a scientist. It’s  _ data. _ ” 

 

Data? She seems so invested in this already. It’s a little comforting knowing that Alphys and Undyne are rooting for you relationship-wise, but it’s still a little weird. 

 

“Do you do this science-data-thing every time one of your friends gets in a relationship?”

 

“N-nope. Monster relationships don’t work like human ones do. Which makes you and Sans a complete o-oddity.”

 

You’ve never really considered that before. If you and Sans end up taking your relationship any further, you have no idea what kind of reaction it could elicit from others. You know that monsters don’t have a problem with it (at least, the ones you know don’t) and Bec doesn’t seem to think it’s weird at all. But what about your boss? Your family? You remember the day you met Sans. He had seemed so surprised that a human was being so kind to him. 

 

...Now that you think about it, you don’t think you’d care if people thought you were weird for dating a monster.

 

“Okay, if y-you really don’t want to tell me about it, you don’t h-have to.” 

 

You sigh. Alphys is your friend, and you trust her, regardless of whatever crazy science stuff she’s up to. You hoist yourself up onto the kitchen counter and settle in with a bag of pretzel chips.

 

“Alright, Alphys. What do you wanna know about our date?”

 

Half an hour later, you’ve told her the gist of the story and eaten at least half of the bag of chips. Alphys seems really… enthusiastic, which you suppose is a good thing compared to the alternative. The two of you talk for a little while longer and she invites you and Bec to another anime night, but she has to end the call a little abruptly when Mettaton shows up complaining that his battery isn’t charging all the way.

 

You notice that it’s getting late, and you tidy up the kitchen for a little while before saying goodnight to Bec (“Goodnight, memelord”) and heading off to your room. As you close your bedroom door, your phone buzzes in your pocket. It’s Alphys again.

 

**Alphys** : ok i forgot to tell you earlier!!!

 

**Alphys** : i!!! don’t think snas is avoiding you

 

**Me** : “snas”??

 

**Alphys** : shush

 

**Alphys** : anyway he’s been pretty busy at work

 

**Alphys** : like, i’m not sure if he’s even been home the past few nights i think he’s been sleeping at the lab

 

**Me** : The lab? he’s a scientist??

 

**Alphys** : uhh

 

**Alphys** : i technically was not supposed to tell you that 

 

**Me** : oh. should i just ask sans?

 

**Alphys** : yeah!! good plan!! maybe wait til he’s had some sleep tho

 

**Me** : good idea. thanks dude

 

**Alphys** : no problem!! good night!!

 

**Me** : gnight alphys

 

You plug your phone in and get ready for sleep. As you slide into bed, your phone buzzes again on your pillow. Wondering what else Alphys forgot to tell you, you pick it up, but it’s not Alphys. It’s Sans.

 

**sans** : hey human

 

**sans** : just wanted to say goodnight, if you’re not already asleep

 

**sans** : anyway, uh

 

**sans** : i’ve been a little busy these past few days

 

**sans** : but i was thinkin maybe we could chill or somethin soon

**sans** : if you want

 

You grin to yourself. Sounds like he’s getting a little flustered asking you this.

 

**Me** : hey sans!! i’d love to hang sometime! you know you’re always welcome at the book store

 

**sans** : heh, thanks. hope your boss doesn’t mind me stealing her best employee away to participate in my nefarious schemes, like going out for coffee

 

**Me** : pfffffft. dork. 

 

**sans** : alright i’ll let you get to sleep now. night, pal

 

**Me** : goodnight, sans. take care of yourself.

 

You almost lock your phone and let your head hit the pillow, but a flash of inspiration hits you and you quickly open your contacts list. Scrolling down until you find the number you want, you press “edit” and change the name of the number from Sans to Snas. Only then do you close your phone and give yourself over to sleep. You have a lot to talk to Gaster about.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after a long time.... it's a shameless advertisement:
> 
> my tumblr : http://stormdove.tumblr.com/
> 
> my instagram is no longer active but hey come chill with me on tumblr!!


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